The DIY auteur Madeleine Johnson, who records as Midwife, refers to her style of conceptually heavy, blissed-out guitar music as heaven metal — a better name than anything a mere rock critic could conceive. Midwife’s music is based in guitar rock, but it’s tender and inward and often rapturously beautiful. Today, she announces the impending release of No Depression In Heaven, her first solo album since 2021’s Luminol.

Since the release of Luminol, Midwife has teamed up with Vyva Melinkolya for the collaborative album Orbweaving, and she’s also made music with people like Allison Lorenzen, Nyxy Nyx, and American Culture. Those artists all repay the favor, contributing to tracks on No Depression In Heaven, which Johnson recorded at home in New Mexico.

First single “Killdozer” doesn’t necessarily take inspiration from the 1974 made-for-TV movie about an alien-possessed bulldozer or the pioneering ’80s noise-rock band named after that movie. Instead, it’s inspired by Marvin Heemeyer, the Colorado muffler-shop owner who died by suicide in 2004 after taking his bulldozer on a demolition spree. The song is an absolute stunner about watching your hometown disappear, and its video is all VHS footage of suburban dilapidation. Below, check out the “Killdozer” video and the No Depression In Heaven tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Rock N Roll Never Forgets”
02 “Autoluminescent”
03 “Droving”
04 “Vanessa”
05 “Killdozer”
06 “Better Off Alone”
07 “No Depression In Heaven”

No Depression In Heaven is out 9/6 on the Flenser.