Ethereal Architects of the Deep — Maud the Moth Unveils Haunting Video for “Siphonophores”

Siphonophores, those curious architects of the deep, drift through the endless expanse of oceanic blackness, each a patchwork of parts, a floating fellowship of forms, tied together in perfect unity. Like us, they consist of smaller beings — zooids, each with its calling: some snatch prey with stinging threads, others reproduce, some propel the whole forward, while still others defend. Every zooid is distinct yet incomplete alone, needing the colony to thrive, a dance of interdependence.

Reflect upon this image, and it becomes a rich metaphor for the voyage within, the burden we bear and battle. First, we float unaware, denying the storm beneath. Then comes the turbulence, the agitation, and pain, shock striking like a venomous tendril. We resist, thrash, and fight — yet, eventually, must pause, must swallow and understand. Acceptance washes over, like a gentle current, bringing the scattered pieces together, forgiving our own sharp edges.

We learn to embrace the many parts of ourselves, each distinct, some fragile, some fierce. The siphonophore teaches us this: that unity is strength, that self-love comes not from neglect but from embracing the whole, from learning that within our interconnected parts, there lies a hard-earned peace.

Amaya López-Carromero (healthyliving), known as Maud the Moth, unveils her latest creation, The Distaff, on 21 February 2025. This record plunges into the depths of identity, feminine wounds, and fragmented memories, drawing from the symbol of the distaff and the haunting echoes of Greek poet Erinna’s laments on lost power. The Spanish-born, Scotland-based artist has long used the mantle of Maud the Moth as an alter-ego, a séance-like conduit to explore themes of rootlessness, identity, and trauma.

Siphonophores emerges as a hypnotic blend of plaintive piano and a voice both delicate and demanding. Built on acoustic piano and driven by Amaya’s ghostly, otherworldly voice, the track moves between raw, visceral feeling and surreal wonder. Her vocals drift, whispering and wailing, conjuring spirits long past yet ever-present. Imagine Cocteau Twins’ dreamy haze, Tori Amos’ fierce fragility, Portishead’s soulful undercurrent, and a touch of Loreena McKennitt’s spellbinding mystique—all entwined in this evocative, haunting universe.

 “Time stands still in oceanic depths,” says López-Carromero .“Below the mirror-like dark waters breathes the dream collective. The gates of Eden open only in the arms of a lover. I wrote this song originally on guitar. During the same time period I wrote to the fields for my band healthyliving, and they have a strange connection. Here it is reworked to fit the album as necessary respite.”

The video for Siphonophores was co-directed by Elena Brea and Amaya López-Carromero. A filmmaker, visual artist, and seasoned diver, Brea has been exploring underwater cinematography since 2022. With a focus on macro videography, she aims to capture her subjects with an abstract and experimental lens. When Amaya proposed creating an underwater video, the two spoke deeply about the album’s themes. Brea chose the concept of inherited trauma as her compass.

The result is a haunting exploration of self-introspection, a descent into the layered psyche—through denial, agitation, shock, and sorrow. Then, like the ocean’s currents that transform everything in their path, the journey moves toward acceptance and forgiveness, a gentle yet relentless embrace of all parts of the self. In this underwater realm, these stages unfold fluidly, creating a haunting and raw reflection on moving toward self-discovery, self-acceptance, and self-care. The visual flows with beauty, introspection, and grace.

“The creation is a visual expression of the different stages of self-introspection when meeting, fighting, and overcoming this burden and load we bear,” says Brea. “From unawareness and denial to agitation, shock, and pain, to then ingestion, acceptance and forgiveness, to embrace all these parts of ourselves and reach peace in the path towards self-discovery, self-love, and self-care, instead of slight and neglect.”

Watch the video for “Siphonophores” below:

The Distaff takes its name from the ancient tool onto which wool or flax is wound, a symbol of the “virtuous woman,” wielded as a standard around which feminine trauma has long twisted and tangled. The album unfolds like a surreal, self-reflective autobiography, drawing partly from the mournful words of Greek poet Erinna, who lamented a friend’s loss of agency, bartered away for the safety and acceptance of marriage in society’s eyes.

Though rooted in a personal perspective, the album shuns a single voice. Instead, it unravels like a sonic trousseau, trading needlepoint and heirlooms for fragmented, almost forgotten memories: glimpses of rural Spain near the vineyards, family quarrels echoing across generations, wartime tales, and migration’s cold estrangement. It paints a dystopian pastoral, evolving over a fictional, timeless day where imagination—often the sole survivor of trauma and gaslighting—blurs into reality. The scenes wander through discordant landscapes, where fact and fantasy lose their boundaries. The Distaff seeks to lay bare past wounds, grapple with the darkness they bred, and offer release, a creative balm born from reckoning and renewal.

The album dwells in an ethereal yet stormy world where time stands stubborn, and fictional folklore mingles with Maud the Moth’s sonic array. Born from a lifelong passion for music, it reflects Amaya’s deep dive into genre and her long ties to Europe’s underground scene. Collaborations bristle with daring creativity: Seb Rochford (Patti Smith, Polar Bear) delivers thunderous drumbeats, Alison Chesley (Helen Money) unfurls cello strains that soar and tremble, and Scott McLean (Ashenspire, Falloch) blends guitar, sax, and synthesizer into intricate layers.

Mastered at the legendary Abbey Road by Alex Wharton (Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine), the album looms large, promising unforgettable live moments at ArcTanGent 2025.

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