Donovan Woods’ Squander Your Gifts is a quietly devastating EP that lays bare the songwriter’s grief with remarkable intimacy. Across five tracks, Woods channels his mourning for his late collaborator Abe Stoklasa into tender, understated compositions that feel both personal and universal. The record moves deliberately, eschewing grand gestures in favor of soft acoustic strums, muted mandolin, and airy flutes, giving the songs a hushed, bedroom-demo quality that draws the listener close.
Opening with “I Talk About You,” Woods immediately sets the tone: a somber reflection on memory and absence. His voice carries a fragile vulnerability, each lyric weighed with the responsibility of remembering someone who was deeply influential yet gone too soon. This isn’t abstract grief—Woods paints Abe’s presence with specificity, which paradoxically allows the emotion to resonate broadly, inviting listeners to situate their own losses within the music.
“Do It Right” continues in the vein of understated intimacy, featuring whispered vocals over gentle, restrained strumming. The track captures the private, reflective spaces of mourning, where the world’s noise falls away and only the memory of a loved one remains. Woods’ instrumentation throughout the EP consistently supports this closeness, never overplaying, letting the emotional weight of the songs breathe naturally.
Even on tracks with more elaborate arrangements, like “Who Could Love You,” the lush orchestral strings and subtle country touches serve to highlight Woods’ voice and storytelling rather than overshadow them. It’s a testament to his ability to balance musicality with narrative, maintaining an emotional immediacy that feels genuine and unforced. Every note and pause seems deliberate, creating an atmosphere that is contemplative without becoming heavy-handed. – Jason Felton