Whitney Johnson

Chicago-based experimental musician Whitney Johnson's music ranges from drone to abstract psychedelia. The composer, singer, violist, and synthesizer player performed in the psych-rock band Verma before she started making hypnotic, lo-fi avant-pop as Matchess. From releases like 2015's Somnaphoria, the project evolved in a more drone-based direction with subsequent recordings like 2022's Sonescent. Concurrently, Johnson participated in several side projects, such as the techno-influenced duo Simulation and shoegazey supergroup Winged Wheel. In 2024, Johnson simultaneously released two interrelated projects, Hav (under her own name) and Stena (as Matchess). She released a collaboration with Lia Kohl, For Translucence, in 2025, and the two additionally collaborated with Macie Stewart for 2026's BODY SOUND.