In Atlanta music circles, David Norbery is best known as the artist behind Nomen Novum, a long-running, genre-defying solo project that Norbery summarily put on hold in 2016. Shortly after, he began experimenting with ambient drone and left-field electronica via the alias Night Heron, and although much of that work has remained hidden from the public eye, what has surfaced has been stark and languid—mesmeric soundscapes that ask the listener to retreat within themselves and drift into a trance.
In the past year or so, however, Norbery has made a conscious shift from that reclusive, sometimes spectral aesthetic in the hopes of discovering a sound that is more organic, vulnerable, and human. In doing so, he abandoned most of his synths and electronics in favor of softer, more spacious songs the rely predominately on his vocals and fingerpicked guitars. He’s taken to calling the project Sisterwife, a term he finds “mysterious and transgressive,” and which marks a significant departure for a songwriter grown accustomed to wrapping himself up in philosophical conundrums and idiosyncratic mystique.
“I had been listening to a lot of hypnotic, insular electronic music, and what I was doing as Night Heron reflected that,” Norbery explains via email. “I would wake up in the morning before work, turn on my machines and make these little sketches as the light filled my studio. I recorded a whole album that way and was really happy with it, but never released it. At a certain point it got harder to connect with that type of music. That started around the time Trump was elected, I guess. I kind of didn’t want to be in a cocoon anymore. A lot of my favorite records in recent years have sounded convincingly inhuman—robotic, ghostly, alien, atmospheric. I love that, but I missed a certain human connection. It’s been challenging and fun to work with guitars and microphones again.”
“Reclaim the Dust,” which we’re excited to premiere this morning, is Sisterwife’s formal debut and it finds Norbery in a pensive space, crooning over spidery guitars and muted textures. The song features Lisa Highfill of Lois Righteous on backing vocals and together the pair weave an alluring web of delicate harmonies that feel less brooding than self-reflective. Overall, it’s a springtime ode to transformational change, one that implores the listener to “unpin their fear” and seek out the courage to evolve. It’s sage advice Norbery has been actively implementing into his own life, albeit with some measure of restraint. Although he says he’s written about 16 songs and is the process of tracking a few of them, don’t expect a whirlwind of activity anytime soon. For now, he’s content to take his time and let things take their due course.
“I’m not in any rush,” Norbery says. “Right now I just want to start playing shows and see what happens. Starting from square one is scary but also exciting.”
More Info
SoundCloud: @sisterwifesongs