The Distaff by Maud the Moth

We may see the body as existing entirely outside, or potentially in opposition to, spirituality, but for Maud the Moth on The Distaff, the body serves as the source, purpose, and pilot of spirituality. Stunning, illustrative poetry gives us the sometimes glorious, sometimes grotesque reality of this embodied spirituality. Musical shifts from dark, minimal neoclassical to extravagant, oppressive post metal signal this dichotomy, reminding us that a society with a bodily obsession, especially over the bodies of women, will intensify all positive and negative experiences that that body provides. This bipolar style and message prevents the most intense moments of the record from becoming self-indulgent while also saving the album’s lowest moments from becoming melodramatic, both sentiments delivered with bleeding-heart earnestness but in a tempered, varied fashion that feels intimately believable and empathetic. By projecting this inner life outward in such a vivid way, Maud the Moth and their spiritual life invite us to commiserate, participate, and ultimately to overcome.