Meredith Bates
The Observer Effect

out: March 13, 2026 on phonometrograph (2xCD/DL)
Genres: Experimental, Ambient, Electroacoustic

MEREDITH BATES — WEB
PHONOMETROGRAPH — WEB | BANDCAMP

The Observer Effect unfolds an expansive and elusive structure in a similar vein to its predecessors while venturing into new conceptual and sonic territory. With its nearly 140 minutes of music, The Observer Effect still manages to feel more welcoming and immediate compared to Tesseract‘s dense alien landscapes, even if its grounded thematically by a similar sense of psychic turmoil.

For Bates, this body of work braids several threads as indicated by its titular invocation of quantum mechanics. It’s named after a principle that asserts the act of observing alters that which is being observed. “At its core,” she notes, “The Observer Effect is about witnessing and being witnessed—the quantum, emotional, and political consequences of that exchange.” This is far more than just a novel extramusical scaffolding to her—it’s something deeply embedded in the form and sound of the music, as well as her underlying motivations. The album, in her words “examines coherence and dissonance within both the self and society—how our internal states of balance and resonance are shaped by the energies, emotions, and systems surrounding us. It asks how we might perceive those exchanges and how they are altered or silenced by power, by history, and by the act of being seen.” Naturally this also extends to questions of personal idendity. For her this collection asks “what happens to a woman’s coherence when her existence is continually measured, interpreted, or confined within external systems of control?” while also drawing inspiration from perceptions of feminine intuition, which is often characterized as an interconnectedness and awareness that transcends space and time. The decision to name its constituent pieces “Incantations” and collect them into two “Books” is a conscious nod in this direction, tracing how the aforementioned intuitive power has often been cast as witchcraft and marginalized by patriarchal systems.

Created live in the studio with very few edits or overdubs, this music feels vast and orchestral. It’s largely solo (though it doesn’t sound that way), yet it also features appearances from co-producer Chris Gestrin on synthesizer, Curtis Andrews on percussion, as well as Scott Morgan (aka loscil) who performs electronics on two of the album’s tracks.

Meredith BatesThe Observer Effect

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Meredith Bates
The Observer Effect