When the Distance Is Blue is the second studio album by American multi-instrumentalist Macie Stewart. It was released on March 21, 2025, via International Anthem.
Background Preceded by Stewart's debut Mouth Full of Glass in 2022, When the Distance Is Blue is noted as an instrumental album composed with field recordings, piano, and strings, including violin, viola and cello. The album title is derived from an essay by Rebecca Solnit titled The Blue of Distance.
"Spring Becomes You, Spring Becomes New", the lead single of the album, was released on February 4, 2025.
Reception
Paul Bowler of Record Collector rated the album four stars and described several songs from the album including "Murmuration/Memorization", "Spring Becomes You, Spring Becomes New", and "Disintegration" as consisting of "rich atmosphere", "gamelan-like piano", "richly cinematic soundscapes."
When the Distance Is Blue received a rating of four stars from AllMusic, whose reviewer noted, the album "gently, quietly, and poignantly travels through bardos – the spaces between – not seeking resolution, but a name for the composer's unanswered longing, and ours."
Pitchfork gave the album a score of 7.4 out of ten, describing it as "an eight-part suite of improvisational chamber ambient, tinted by the limpid colors of an in-between space, peering across absence without attempting to resolve or subdue it."
Track listing
Personnel Credits for When the Distance Is Blue adapted from AllMusic. Macie Stewart – composer, field recording, photography, piano, prepared piano, violin, vocals Lia Kohl – cello Whitney Johnson – viola Zach Moore – double bass David Allen – mastering Aaron Denton – layout design Dave Vettraino – engineer, mixing, photography Shannon Marks – photography Zander Raymond – artwork, design
References