Macie Stewart's When the Distance is Blue IN STORES THIS WEEK on LP & CD
Macie Stewart
When the Distance is Blue
LP, CD, DD out March 21st, 2025
(available on all streaming platforms April 10th)
"A striking and cinematic work through collages of prepared piano, field recordings from her various travels, and string quartet compositions"
- KLOF Mag
"Stewart's unexpected musical choices come from following astute instincts ranther than calculated decisions"
- The Wire Magazine
"The track โSpring Becomes New, Spring Becomes You,โ unfolds as a minimalistic waltz for prepared piano and string trio. Clanking piano motifs dissolve into pizzicato strings, while high violin harmonics hover far above; itโs at once lulling and eerie."
- New York Times
Photo courtesy of Lunchbox Records Charlotte, NC
!!! Buy it IRL !!!
When the Distance is Blue is available in record stores worldwide this Friday March 21st, three weeks before the full album hits streaming platforms.
To facilitate the old fashioned transactional joy of buying an album from a human being in a three dimensional retail space, we've compiled below (and here on our website) a list of record shops that have confirmed are stocking the album. Support local business, support the essential historical, archival, cultural industrial work being done at your favorite record stores!
Austin, TX - Breakaway Records
Baltimore, MD - Sound Garden
Belfast, UK - Spindizzy Records
Berkeley, CA - Amoeba Music
Berlin, DE - Bis auf's Messer Records
Berlin, DE - HHV
Berlin, DE - Rough Trade
Birmingham, AL - Seasick Records
Bloomington, IN - Landlocked Music
Boise, ID - Record Exchange Boise
Calgary, AB - Blackbyrd Myoozik
Calgary, AB - Melodiya Records
Charlotte, NC - Lunchbox Records
Chicago, IL - 606 Records
Chicago, IL - Dusty Groove
Chicago, IL - Laurie's Planet of Sound
Chicago, IL - Reckless Records (Belmont)
Chicago, IL - Reckless Records (Loop)
Chicago, IL - Reckless Records (Wicker Park)
Chicago, IL - Tone Deaf Records
Cincinnati, OH - Shake It
Columbia, SC - Papa Jazz
Columbus, OH - Used Kids
Davenport, IA - Ragged Records
Dearborn, MI - Dearborn Music
Denver, CO - Twist & Shout
Edmonton, AB - Blackbyrd Myoozik
Edmonton, AB - Listen Records
Encinitas, CA - Lou's Records
Ferndale, MI - Found Sound
Glasgow, UK - Just Dropped In
Glasgow, UK - Some Great Reward
Guadalajara, Jal. - Tea Recs
Hamburg, DE - Michelle Records
Hamburg, DE - Zardoz Schallplatten
Iowa City, IA - Record Collector
Kansas City, MO - Mills Record Company
Kรถln, DE - Groove Attack Recordstore
Leeds, UK - Norman Records
Little Canada, MN - Cheapo Discs
London, UK - Rough Trade
London, UK - Stranger Than Paradise Records
Los Angeles, CA - Amoeba Music Hollywood
Loveland, OH - Plaid Room Records
Madison, WI - B-Side CD's
Manchester, UK - Piccadilly Records
Manchester, UK - Vinyl Factory Records
Medford, OR - Biscuits & Vinyl
Miami, FL - Sweat Records
Milwaukee, WI - Acme Records
Montreal, QC - Atom Heart
Montrรฉal, QC - Aux 33 Tours
Montrรฉal, QC - Le Backstore
Montrรฉal, QC - Sonorama Disques
Nashville, TN - Grimey's
Nashville, TN - Vinyl Tap
Norridge, IL - Rolling Stones Record Store
Norwich, UK - Venus Vinyl
Oak Park, MI - Street Corner Music
Opelika, AL - 10,000 Hz Records
Orlando, FL - Park Ave. CD's
Oxford, MS - The End of All Music
Oxford, UK - Truck Store
Phoenix, AZ - Stinkweeds
Portland, OR - Clinton St. Records
Portland, OR - Mississippi Records
Portland, OR - Music Millennium
Portland, OR - Speck's Records & Tapes
Princeton, NJ - Princeton Record Exchange
Richmond, VA - Plan 9
San Francisco, CA - Amoeba Music
Santa Cruz, CA - Redwood Records
Seattle, WA - Hex Enduction Records & Books
Seattle, WA - Silver Platters
Seattle, WA - Sonic Boom Records
St. Augustine, FL - Tonevendor
St. Louis, MO - Euclid Records
Tacoma, WA - Hi-Voltage Records
Taylorsville, UT - Graywhale
Toronto, ON - Rotate This
Toronto, ON - Sonic Boom
Totnes, UK - The Drift Record Shop
Troy, NY - Sound House Records
Vancouver, BC - Audiopile Records
Washington, DC - Byrdland
West Palm Beach, FL - Rust & Wax
Wien, AT - Substance Recordstore
Winnipeg, MB - Into The Music
Winnipeg, MB - McNally Robinson
[VIRTUAL] Bandcamp
Listening Party
Join us for an exclusive listening party for ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ via our Bandcamp page!! Enjoy a full album listen-through with ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ and the ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ in the chat!
March 21th, 2025
12pm Chicago/ 1pm New York
(( photos by Shannon Marks ))
Long-heralded in musician circles for her versatility, Stewart stands as a distinguished, go-to collaborator across genre and style, with a collaborative CV that reads like a dream year-end listโ performing strings for Makaya McCraven, Damon Locks, or Japanese Breakfast; singing harmonies with Tweedy; arranging for Alabaster DePlume, Resavoir, Mannequin Pussy, or SZA; co-leading the jagged art-rock experimentation of Finom, her duo with songwriter Sima Cunningham. Her varied-yet-distinct sound has led to a name recognition that goes beyond the devoted liner note enthusiast, with Pitchfork saying โMacie Stewart has had a hand in making some of the best tracks of the past five years transcendent.โ
Stewart describes When the Distance is Blue as โa love letter to the moments we spend in-between.โ The album draws its title from Rebecca Solnitโs book of essays, A Field Guide to Getting Lost. Stewart, too, contends with the longing for all that lies out of reach, and gives shape to that longing throughout this contemplative collection with a musical lexicon which lands somewhere between Alvin Curranโs Songs and Views from the Magnetic Garden and Claire Rousayโs A Softer Focus. Here Stewart creates a striking and cinematic work through collages of prepared piano, field recordings from her various travels, and string quartet compositions featuring herself on violin, Whitney Johnson (aka Matchesse) on viola, Lia Kohl on cello, and Zach Moore on double bass.
When the Distance is Blue
Live Dates
The When the Distance is Blue live ensemble features the string quartet heard on the record -- i.e. Macie Stewart on violin, Whitney Johnson (aka Matchesse) on viola, Lia Kohl on cello, and Zach Moore on double bass. Stewart and her ensemble have a handful of confirmed shows (info/links below), with more TBA soon.
Deluxe Vinyl Package
When the Distance is Blue comes on a 140g Classic Black LP in heavyweight reverse-board jacket, with photo-strip insert sheet, IARC 2025 obi strip & poly-lined inner sleeve. Pressed at Pallas in Germany, with lacquers cut by Daniel K @ SST.
Available on limited edition "Glacial Blue" color vinyl for $29 USD.
Also available on classic black vinyl for $24 USD.
