I had an audio affair with Lowlines
And I'm sorry I kept it from you for so long
Do you ever feel like letting someone in on a lovely secret can dim its preciousness? Perhaps that misconception is what kept me from sharing Lowlines with you.
No more.
If you’re reading this now, this 6-part sonic scrapbook has found you when it was meant to. Just as it did me.
🎧 Listen to the prologue here to relax into the headspace for what’s to come.
If we’re lucky, our world is filled with sounds of all kind. From the sounds of summer on the streets to the crunching of the leaves beneath our feet to the whistle that tells us our tea is ready.
Rarely, if we’re luckier, we tune into to something that feels like we’ve heard it before. So connected to it that it was always a part of you but every sound, every timbre, every wave, just revealed yourself unto you.
That’s Lowlines.
Today, I’m going to share why Lowlines might be unlike anything you’ve heard before, what to expect when listening, and who should listen to this podcast.
Note: this is not a review. This is an unhinged love letter to a piece of audio.
🟣 Before we begin, what is Lowlines?
Petra Barran left the UK feeling burnt out by the cycles of life. Armed with just a recorder, sans any script or plan, she set off to get lower. She returned with the raw audio tapes and handed them to two award-winning audio producers. Thus, Lowlines was born.
Lowlines is a completely independent, female-led production that follows Petra Barran as she travels across the Americas, in an attempt to fulfill her urge to get connected to the ground again.
🎧 Petra and I once talked about what even is a lowline. I welcome you draw your own conclusion though.
🟣 Let the waxing poetic commence
January in Vancouver. The gloominess and grayness of the city seeped into my bones, making serotonin a rare commodity. Everything seems stationary. Except for deadlines. And meetings. And spreadsheets.
The only thing that kept me feeling anything was getting stuff done. I slipped down this slope resulting in a feeling of being burned out that is heartbreakingly familiar to all of us.
That’s when Lauren Passell asked me if I would like to work on helping Lowlines launch. I suspect she knew I needed it. Lauren always does. 💜
I read the premise of the podcast and said yes! (I realize you might think this is why I’m writing this piece but no. My contract with them ended in March. This is fueled by the heart alone).
Later that evening, I went for a walk by the Vancouver seawall and meditated on this beautiful poem by Henry Tsang.
I simply knew good times were to come. Calmer times. And they did.
🟣 Thanks to Lowlines
Lowlines commences with Petra’s journey to New Orleans. Second Line calls you to pay attention to your own footwork, reminding you that our feet were not meant to walk on concrete. The proximity to the swamplands is beautifully woven with the undeniably catchy beats of the Sunday parade Petra attends.
Warning: the conversation with Jarrad DeGruy might leave you feeling a little bouncy.
Moving to the Floodlines of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana, Petra navigates the waterways of the Mississippi and its complicated relationship with the humans around it.
When she catches the Trainline to Arizona, Petra really cements my love for her. The best way to really tune into the pulse of a place is to take the train. This episode features a lot of wonderful people, unreal adventurers, and a burrito I’d love to bite into.
Down by the Borderline, we meet the desert woman. Intimidating yet delightful, the desert woman Samantha Moore leaves us with:
You have to put your hands into the soil of a place and get that on you so it becomes you, basically. I feel like that's the only way to mesh, is that the earth has to kind of eat you too, not you just eat the earth.
Further south on the Plotlines of Mexico City, we meet the likes of Arca Tierra; organizations and humans fighting to protect the forests that Spanish conquests paved over. I listened to this as I sat wrapped in my coat in the corner of a bus on Brooklyn so this might be a biased opinion — this episode will leave you with warmth in your bones.
Petra brings us an untidy and uncomfortable and unparalleled conclusion in Low Vines. In Peru, she meets Aya Madre who lead her on a cleansing journey through ayahuasca.
Jordan McIntosh sums up what I believe the biggest takeaway from Lowlines is:
Things don’t have to be as quick as we might believe they have to be, or are supposed to be. We can control that. We can slow things down.
🟣 Lowlines is for you if…
If you’re ready to feel uncomfortable in your skin to be reacquainted with your soul.
If you’re ready to engage with creators and strangers who paint with sounds.
If you’re moving from moment to moment with nary a stop in sight.
If you’re seeking the space between sounds to just catch your breath.
If you’re ready to tune into the pulse of your own place in the world.
If you’re bouncing from place to place, seeking to make a home in your body.
Thank you for reading. It was hard to not go on and on about this, but I appreciate you if you made it to the end.
If you’re listening to something you’re having an audio affair with, let me know below.
Until we meet again,
Shreya
Shreya! This is such a beautiful ode - thank you for taking the time to share and so glad Lowlines came as a balm ⚡️👣⚡️