In a striking convergence of sound and space, Chicago-based composer and Natural Information Society founder Joshua Abrams has announced his new album, Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation, arriving March 27, 2026, via Drag City. The announcement is paired with the release of a music video for the excerpted single, “Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation (brief immersion),” offering a window into a project that functions as the aural manifestation of an immersive art installation described as: “an in-between space and access point to a pulsating experience that connects body and land.”
The work was composed in direct dialogue with Lisa Alvarado, Abrams’ partner and bandmate, for her Pulse Meridian Foliation exhibition at REDCAT in Los Angeles. While Abrams is widely celebrated for leading the rhythmic, ensemble-driven compositions of Natural Information Society, this release finds him working within a more intimate, deliberate architecture. The 35-minute piece is scored for two violas, harmonium, and electronics, creating a sonic environment that explores the concept of “Nepantla”—a Chicana feminist term popularised by Chicana theorist Gloria Anzaldúa for an “in-between” space where transformation occurs.
Daniela Lieja Quintanar, REDCAT Chief Curator, describes the project as an exploration of how memory is transformed through the body’s relationship to geography and geology. Sonically, this is achieved through the intricate “hand-off” of information between the two violas. Positioned at oppositional points across the soundstage, the instruments weave together in a spiral of recurrence and change, leaving traces and echoes that envelop the listener.
As Alvarado asks, “How does memory transform and live within the body?”, Abrams provides the answer through an elemental movement that feels both ancient and immediate. Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation stands as a profound collaboration between two artists at the height of their powers, bridging the gap between the conscious and the unconscious. The album will be available in full this March.
Pre-Order/Save: https://lnk.to/pulsemeridianfoliation