Matchess’ Whitney Johnson Doubles Up With Parallel Alter Ego Albums

Sociologist of sound Dr. Whitney Johnson and her alter-ego Matchess are set to release parallel albums, Hav and Stena, on September 27 via Drag City. Johnson previewed both records with a selection from each, “Vari” from Hav and “In Sleep” from Stena.

“I am living a double life,” is how Johnson described the coexistence of her alter egos. The idea for Hav and Stena began in 2021 when Johnson traveled through Greece and Cyprus researching the cult of Hermaphroditus, a Greek divinity symbolizing the unity of male and female, and collecting field recordings. During this time she also read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the first time, which influenced the new works.

Johnson referred to Matchess’ previous release, Sonescent, as “the last minutes in the life of music.”

“A sequel to that harrowing moment, Hav and Stena feel within and without themselves like creatures of post-mortem assembly, collaged more than birthed,” as per press materials for Hav and Stena. “Hav‘s pieces were first constructed as a multi-channel A/V installation at Inkonst (where Whitney was an artist-in-residence last fall); Stena sifts through fragments of once-was, surgically bonded and given electric shock treatment to induce the music of Matchess.”

Paramount to Hav and Stena are how their sounds resonate in the body. The Solfeggio Frequencies are referenced throughout the record.

“Sound is so amazing and insane,” Johnson stated, “the way it is just pressure on air that ripples onto your body, [into] your ears, and then it becomes this entire meaningful system that defines our lives.”

Also intriguing is how preview tracks, “Vari” and “In Sleep,” are different sides of the same coin as they share the same sine wave composition but sound vastly different, as the press materials noted.

“Vari”, a soothing (perhaps even healing) composition from Hav, evokes a peaceful zen through each of Whitney’s ringing marimba hits; “In Sleep”, on the flip side, is Matchess’ sonic journaling, a hissing, buzzing soundscape with jagged, granular textures floating in tides of unconsciousness.”

Check out the visuals for “Vari” and “In Sleep” below: