Slow Meadow

An ambient chamber music endeavor called Slow Meadow originated from the vision of Houston-based musician Matt Kidd. On the 2019 release Happy Occident, for example, Kidd crafts tranquil yet melancholic compositions that blend strings, piano, and electronic textures into backdrops suited for introspection and quiet thought.

Kidd entered the music world in the early 2000s as a touring and session musician. Beginning in 2012 he issued cinematic soundscapes under his own name while also exploring atmospheric post-rock under the Aural Method moniker. Following a two-year pause in releases, encouragement from Marc Byrd of Nashville-based ambient/post-rock band Hammock spurred him back into action. He adopted the Slow Meadow name, signed with Hammock Music, and delivered a self-titled debut album in 2015 that featured a string quartet plus guest appearances by Hammock. Live performances began in 2016, after which the project issued a steady stream of non-album singles, among them “Lachrymosia,” later sampled by 6LACK on his debut album. Costero, the second full-length and more lushly detailed effort, arrived in 2017. The third album, Happy Occident, followed in 2019 and included distinctive violin arrangements by Ellen Story together with a modestly greater emphasis on vocals and electronics than earlier recordings. The piano-based EP By the Ash Tree appeared in 2020.