The Blow

An electro-pop outfit known as the Blow consists of Khaela Maricich alongside Melissa Dyne. Prior to this, Maricich issued material under the alias Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano. Her initial efforts with the Blow, aided by various contributors and issued on the K label, commenced with Bonus Album in 2002, soon succeeded by the 2003 release titled The Concussive Caress, or, Casey Caught Her Mom Singing Along with the Vacuum. Multiple projects emerged from her partnership with Jona Bechtolt, such as the limited-edition EP Poor Aim: Love Songs from 2004, Everyday Examples of Humans Facing Straight Into the Blow the year after—which drew on earlier recordings issued via her Volcano project—and Paper Television in 2006. Once Bechtolt shifted attention to his YACHT endeavor, Maricich teamed up with sound and installation artist Dyne starting in 2007 before settling in Brooklyn the next year. Work on a fourth album got underway in 2011, culminating in the September 2013 appearance of The Blow. In the wake of that record, the duo pursued a more hardware-oriented, live-performance style of electronic music while integrating modular synths and vintage samplers into their setup. They also launched the WOMANPRODUCER initiative to honor women, trans, and non-binary creators who handle their own production duties, featuring an archive along with panels, interviews, and live events. Their fifth album, Brand New Abyss from 2017, was tracked and produced independently by the pair within their Brooklyn residence and at additional sites across the northeastern United States.