Whitney Johnson
started researching the Cult of Hermaphroditus in 2021, and traveled to Cyprus and Greece in order to visit sites and collect materials. She also read
Mary Shelley
's Frankenstein for the first time, and felt a deep connection with the story. Attracted to ideas of duality, she worked on two separate but interrelated albums inspired by these experiences. While
Stena
is released as a cassette under
Johnson
's solo moniker
Matchess
, the LP
Hav
is the first recording issued under her own name. Partly recorded in Sweden while
was an artist-in-residence at Inkonst in Malmö and at Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) in Stockholm,
is a drone composition for sine waves, marimba, viola, Arp Odyssey, and a unique electro-acoustic string instrument called a halldorophone. While
's work as
has progressively moved in a more post-minimalist direction, this work has absolutely none of the pop or psychedelic elements still present in
releases, and is much closer to something by
Olivia Block
or
Pauline Oliveros
. The pieces focus on shifting sine waves, which often rise up to higher frequencies, or swoop downward, as they do throughout "Kouklia." A faint, flickering pulse is played on the marimba, and there are moments where the Arp synthesizer expands on the rhythm, hinting at the progressive electronic of masters like
Klaus Schulze
without fully diving into that realm. "Vari" is easily the most serene piece on the album, with
's viola gradually surfacing as the sparse rhythm tranquilly drifts. "Kition" is the lengthiest piece, and seems to incorporate all of the sonic elements present throughout the album, from rotating sine waves to subtle viola strokes.
represents the more academic side of
's music, and while it requires some patience from the listener, it is a rewarding work. ~ Paul Simpson