Music

Alone in her room, isolated from family and friends in the depths of the first lockdown, Maddie Witler wrote and started recording what would become her debut album, Astronaut.

If you know Maddie, it’s probably as the mandolin force in progressive bluegrass group the Lonely Heartstring Band, or more recently in Grammy nominated group Della Mae. Long respected for her chops and contributions to the sound of these bands, Astronaut is the first real presentation of her abilities as a songwriter, singer, and producer.

Across the album’s 7 tracks, Maddie demonstrates her talents on a multitude of instruments (mandolin, guitar, bass, banjo, fiddle, percussion), while showing restraint necessary to showcase her gentle style of singing.

Adding their talents to the mix are engineer and co producer, Mike Robinson, who also played pedal steel guitar on 2 tracks, and Sean Trischka, who played the drums on 3 tracks.

The album explores themes of depression, anxiety, loneliness, but ultimately hope for the future. The short songs and concise writing give a raw look at a person feeling deeply.

While it would struggle to be defined by a single genre, one might describe the sound as experimental folk. Utilizing traditional folk sounds like the mandolin and banjo in non traditional ways, blending in found sounds and sporadic wild percussion. Gentle doubled vocals at times reminiscent of Elliot smith give a melancholy focus to the album.

Astronaut is a bold and meaningful first solo expression from a seasoned professional, a true and unique musical effort, worth giving time and space to.