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midwife luminol“The type of warm, melancholic drone you want to pull up to your chin like a weighted blanket” – Pitchfork

MIDWIFE is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Madeline Johnston; she lives and works in San Miguel, New Mexico by way of Denver, Colorado, where she spent the better half of the past decade developing her experimental pop project. As a self-taught guitarist and recording engineer, MIDWIFE explores dark subject matter in her anthemic, soft-gaze hits.

Watch MIDWIFE’s video for ‘Christina’s World’ here:


Luminol is a chemical used by forensic investigators to reveal trace amounts of blood left at a crime scene. When it reacts with blood, luminol emits a chemiluminescent blue glow that can be seen in a darkened room. In the same way this chemical reveal evidence at a scene, MIDWIFE is interested in profound truth - turning trial and tribulation into sources of light. ‘Luminol’ navigates themes of incarceration, locus of control, clarity, self-harm, confinement, agency, and truth-seeking, all erupting in a bioluminescent Rothko colour-field of blue.

The ‘Luminol’ album cover shows a dark figure standing at the edge of a body of water. It symbolizes the way humanity had been on a precipice throughout 2020, to later find out they had been there all along. Being one of MIDWIFE’s most personal records, the ‘Luminol’ cover artwork is a picture of Madeline Johnston’s mother taken in the 1980s, when she was the same age as Madeline at the time of the album’s recording. By redacting the figure, Johnston hopes that anyone could see themselves there, by the water, as a form leftover when all the elements of their lives are stripped away and what is left is a host.

‘Luminol’ features collaborations from various artists and on ‘Christina’s World’, MIDWIFE is joined by Flenser label mate Dan Barrett (HAVE A NICE LIFE) for additional vocals and keyboards, and additional guitars by Tucker Theorore. ‘Luminol’ also features contributions from Angel Diaz (Vyva Melinkolya), Zachary Cole Smith, Ben Newman, and Colin Caulfield (DIIV).

https://midwifemusic.com/album/luminol / https://theflenser.bandcamp.com


Source: Press Release

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