Denver-based artist Midwife (real name: Madeline Johnston) calls her dreamy, eerie slowcore sound “heaven metal,” or "emotive music about devastation" as her label The Flenser puts it. In the case of her forthcoming full-length Forever, that emotional devastation comes from the 2018 passing of her dear friend Colin Ward, a fellow artist she befriended through the DIY space Rhinoceropolis, which sadly closed its doors in 2016 in the wake of the tragic Ghost Ship fire in Oakland.
“He was my roommate and was the embodiment of that place in a lot of ways,” she explained via a press release. “We became really close friends there. I was always learning so much from him, about life and being an artist. He was an amazing teacher and friend to me.”
Forever, dedicated to Ward, will be out April 10th.
