“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
"Reflecting on 4 years of Luminol, I reflect on the major transitions my life has taken while we collectively shifted away from the pandemic landscape. The album means lot to me, it’s how I processed these changes in my life and celebrated the inner growth of their consequences."
— MJ
Midwife’s third studio album, Luminol, turns four years old today. As the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Madeline Johnston, Midwife is both a project and a vision, with each release marking a specific period of suffering and transformation. Released in 2021 as a reflection on 2020’s COVID-19 lockdown, Luminol carries traces of the haunting heartache that plagued an infirm world ripped apart.
Luminol, the album’s namesake, is a chemical used by forensic investigators to reveal trace amounts of blood left at a crime scene. When it reacts with blood, luminol emits a chemiluminescent blue glow that can be seen in a darkened room. In the same way this chemical reveals evidence at a scene, Midwife is interested in profound truth — turning trial and tribulation into sources of light.
From darkness and wounding comes light and healing, but the music is a pivotal part in that process of painful regrowth. Within the four years that have spanned since Luminol, Johnston has released another acclaimed album, No Depression in Heaven, moving forward from quarantine and furthering her artistry.
The world wounds and sutures itself over and over again — Midwife is here to provide music for the process.
🔗 Vinyl
🔗 Tape
