Written by Shea Roney

Every Wednesday, the ugly hug shares a playlist personally curated by an artist/band that we have been enjoying. This week we have a collection of songs put together by Micah Wu and Angie Willcutt of the Cincinnati-based project Age of Peace.

Wu and Willcutt have collaborated extensively over the years, forging sustainable creativity as members of the sharply pronounced post-punk band Artificial Go, and the minimal synth project, ROD. Age of Peace is the latest passion project for the duo, releasing their debut EP Ode To Life back in April. As fabled spirits grow like lush spring greenery, thick thistles of hissing tape and string work give volume to Wu’s enduring arrangements, each track makes room for Willcutt’s vocals to become focal points of curiosity and allurement, like a bright red cardinal adorning the shrubbery of its inhabitants. Ode To Life is playful, leaning into the subtle, the grace and the often after-thought beauty, as Age of Peace play through boundless reclamations of what is their own. There are parts that feel inebriated, biting lips and stumbling into a stride, while the duo fluctuates between security and anticipation of what it means to be present in this unpredictable world.

About the playlist, the duo shared;

Angie Willcutt and Micah Wu (Age of Peace, Artificial Go, ROD) have been in a romantic and musical relationship for the past 5 years. They came together as song writers in search of new sound. The two have explored numerous genres, the latest being atmospheric folk music. This playlist is comprised of past and current inspirations, road trip favorites and shared songs from their time together.

Listen to Age of Peace’s playlist here!

You can listen to Ode To Life out now. Order it on cassette and vinyl via Blushing Grinning.