Blacktop is the Milwaukee-based writing and recording project of multi-instrumentalist and producer, Austin Wood. Resting gently between the genres of folk and surf rock, Blacktop’s sound is adorned with soft-spoken vocals, washed-out guitars, acoustic percussion, and field recordings. When not working full-time in public health or mixing/producing for other artists, Wood writes and records music for Blacktop while drawing inspiration from spiritual philosophies of presence, mindfulness, and impermanence.

The project incorporates a DIY- and analog-based approach to music creation, embracing the creative limitations and hands-on experience of recording to tape. Blacktop’s sound, sitting comfortably alongside peers like Taylor Olin (The Something Specials), Sylvie, and John Andrew & the Yawns, draws from a wide range of influences, from Ethiopian jazz and Latin rhythms from the 1960s–70s to folk artists in the vein of Adrianne Lenker and Gillian Welch.

For live performances, Wood is supported by a group of close friends, including Jordan Taylor, Jacob Olson, Jeremy Robinson, and Jacob Greenberg. Blacktop’s debut album, “Gardening is a Practice, Not an Idea”, was released independently in September 2023 with a deluxe re-release through Nice Guys Records in February 2024. Blacktop’s second full-length album, “Modern Spiritualism”, was released independently on June 18, 2025.