With their respective solo projects, Whitney Johnson (
Matchess) and Natalie Chami (
TALsounds) established distinctive forms of improv-based songwriting, crafting hypnotic lullabies filled with lush loops and ethereal vocals. Chami's spontaneous creations nod to pop and R&B with their yearning vocals and loping rhythms, while Johnson's hazy incantations incorporate transfixing swells of distorted viola, propelled along by a softly puttering drum machine. Longtime touring partners and fixtures of the Chicago experimental scene, the two musicians began exploring the common ground of their approaches through home recordings and performances as
Damiana. The four pieces that make up their debut LP,
Vines, all seem to come together easily, but the end results are sometimes greatly different than you might expect. Opener "Wrap the Sky" is on the calm, meditative side, with a steady hand percussion loop framing the breath-like flow of calm synth textures and duet vocals, floating free during the song's string-heavy conclusion. "Melted Reach" is where the duo's powers combine and clash, producing something strange and spellbinding that neither artist would've come up with on her own. While it starts out relaxing, tension quickly seeps in, and before long, Johnson's viola is conjuring up all sorts of unexplainable spirits, which are blown up and multiplied through effects functioning like audio funhouse mirrors. Rivets of distortion spark through, erupting into a torrential storm, yet Johnson's furious playing seems undaunted by the end. "Under an Aster" unmistakably sounds like
Matchess, as the filtered vocals and soft yet propulsive kick drums are staples of Johnson's solo work, but Chami's dazzling synths and vocal counterpoint (particularly the haunting line "Do you still carry her?") flesh the audio canvas out more, and elevate the music to a higher realm. ~ Paul Simpson