A Walk In The Woods is the second album by Nous Alpha, the collaborative project of Christopher Bono and Gareth Jones, created at Our Silent Canvas’s converted barn studio in the Catskill Mountains.
Where their debut album Without Falsehood emerged from freeform duet improvisations rooted in acoustic texture and atmosphere, this second work introduced a new discipline and structure. Sessions were aligned to a tempo grid, forms were more concise, and the sonic language became increasingly electronic. Synth passages, evolving melodies, and skeletal rhythms replaced much of the earlier record’s acoustic grounding, while maintaining the project’s focus on space, balance, and emotional clarity.
Natural sound remained central to the creative process. Many foundational elements were gathered directly from the surrounding environment and outbuildings: stones and rocks became rhythmic seeds, mechanical fragments formed percussive layers, and water and woodland atmospheres shaped the tonal world of the album. These foraged sounds served as starting points from which each composition grew.
During the intensity of the sessions, the duo developed a simple ritual. A gong hung in the studio, and whenever tension arose or the creative process felt too dark, one of them would strike it — a signal to pause, breathe, and reset, either through meditation or a circular walk through the surrounding trees. This practice helped preserve openness, trust, and a shared sense of purpose.
The resulting album balances technology and nature, melancholy and beauty, discipline and spontaneity. It is an immersive body of work shaped as much by attention, ritual, and environment as by electronic sound design.