Witch House is the younger, uglier brother of Chillwave; forever donning the hand-me-down Fubu and Lugz that the older child has shed in favor of truck stop tees and SBs. Chillwave knows how to please his parents, whilst Witch House is busy starting fires and stealing mommy’s jewelry.  Those razors in his dresser aren’t for shaving, he isn’t even old enough to do that yet.

Forever awkward, little brother sleeps in the attic, whilst the favorite son gets a room of his own. Michigan artist Kohwi is more the middle stepchild. Happy to please his siblings, he manages to somehow ride the fence with perfection.  It is obvious, however, where his black heart lies. Whenever Witch House is sent to bed without supper, Kohwi hides half of his and scurries up the stairs, eager to feed his outcast ally. Fate alone has cast him in this vicious drama, and his new album Hidden Trees is his diary.

There is something unique about this mixed up kid though. Despite the  fear of forever being cast in the shadow of his notorious kin, he has forged a voice of his own. Far from your usual bedroom Folktronica, his music spirals the listener into a bonafide metaverse, and it is a frightening, yet thoroughly enjoyable voyage. Despite arrangements and vocals that could easily leave him mistaken for his moppy haired older bro, Kohwi’s music hides a darkness that paints his music with Black Ark dread. From the gawky and geeky “Tides” to the Esquivelian witch glitch of “Play With Me,” Kohwi’s music is collectively animal and arcane.

Like all middle children, I know deep down Kohwi desires to forge his own identity, and he has. Despite fitting perfectly into the puzzle that is today’s underground, Hidden Trees is nearly impossible to categorize, and it is just this difficulty that makes it irresistible.

Head over to Wonder Beard Tapes to pre-order Hidden Trees on cassette or download it digitally for free.

- Nattymari