Hypnotic visual captures the search for meaning in loss.
Photo credit: Linda Hartung
Acclaimed ambient shoegaze project Midwife, the moniker of musician Madeline Johnston, unveils her new single “Signs” today, alongside a touching visual companion. The track is a B-side from her 2024 LP, No Depression In Heaven, released via The Flenser. While not included on the album, “Signs” is deeply tied to its themes: grief, sentimentality, and the thin veil between reality and memory.
“Signs” is a meditation on loss, and the search for meaning in what’s left behind. In moments of mourning, we often look to the world around us for signals, clues, or spiritual communication. Whether rooted in truth or imagination, the comfort such signs provide becomes an emotional lifeline.
“It’s not about whether the signs are real,” says Johnston. “It’s about our belief in them, and what that belief gives us.”
The accompanying music video, created by Marah Herreid, was shot and edited on film in Denver and surrounding areas. Its tactile and ephemeral visuals perfectly echo the song’s lyrical fragility and slow-burning emotional tension.
Musically, “Signs” continues Midwife’s tradition of minimalist arrangements with maximalist emotional depth. Johnston’s work has drawn comparisons to Low, Grouper, and Slowdive, but stands entirely on its own. Her ability to weave borrowed and familiar phrases into deeply personal mantras gives her songs a rare intimacy, inviting close and repeated listening.
Watch / share “Signs” music video
ABOUT MIDWIFE:
Since the project’s inception, Midwife has built a reputation for raw honesty and sonic restraint, producing deeply affecting work that explores love, loss, and transcendence. Her fourth studio album, No Depression In Heaven, released in 2024 via The Flenser, cemented her as a key voice in experimental music—merging ambient, drone, and slowcore into a singular aesthetic.
UPCOMING LIVE DATES:
- May 30 – Toronto, ON – Prepare the Ground Festival
- July 31 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
- September 14 – Colorado Springs, CO – What’s Left Fest
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