In 2020, Madeline Johnston (Midwife) and Angel Diaz (Vyva Melinkolya) became close friends and looked to one another for support when things in their personal lives got tough. Although this friendship began with music, it quickly expanded into a lot more. When Angel visited Madeline's studio in New Mexico for a recording residency in 2021, the two wrote and recorded Orbweaving during sessions which took place in the sweltering Chihuahuan Desert at the peak of summer.
Angel and Madeline went Herping (herpetologists' term for looking for snakes and amphibians) at night along the deserted roads close to Las Cruces. The heat from the sun is retained by the asphalt, and the snakes absorb it by writhing across the pavement. Rattlesnakes, roadkill, and orb-weaver spiders were all discovered.
Orbweaving combines the personalities of both artists. The album delves into themes such as dejection, relying on a greater authority, feeling lonely, and the superb horror of nature. Orbweaving aims to create a web-like configuration thematically and musically. The debut single, NMP, is a perfect illustration of sweet wistfulness and rises with apparent pain and grief.
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Midwife
Vyva Melinkolya
The Flenser
Artist photo by Jon McWilliams-
