H-M O released Sacred Garden on January 31, 2025 through Labile Records. It is a 3-track single with a total running time of about 16 minutes. The credits read: All songs written and produced by Hanna-Mari Ojala.
Inside the release
The notes describe Sacred Garden as an a cappella release made entirely from H-M O's voice, with no instruments. It is really one improvised song taken three times, and the titles Three, Six and Seven give the number of vocal layers in each take. According to the notes, the takes move from abstract tones to harmonies and finally to words, ending with a poem sung over the layered voices.
In the notes, H-M O says that for years she was afraid to use her voice, let alone improvise with it, and that the record celebrates coming to accept her voice as it is. The notes describe the release as a minimalist offering about embracing imperfection.
From the release notes
The notes on the single's Bandcamp page set the scene: "H-M O's Sacred Garden is an intimate and transformative a cappella EP (extended play) that invites listeners to explore voice, vulnerability, and self-discovery deeply."
Later, the notes add: "At its core, Sacred Garden is one song, revisited and transformed across three takes, each deepening and growing as layers of sound are added. The tracks' names are a nod to this process, literally describing the number of vocal layers in each piece."
Tracklist
- Three (5:02)
- Six (5:24)
- Seven (5:24)
Running times are from Apple Music. Apple Music files it under ambient; the Bandcamp tags list experimental, a cappella, acappella and avant-garde.
Release details
- Release date: January 31, 2025
- Label: Labile Records
- Copyright line on Apple Music: ℗ 2025 Labile Records
- Format on Bandcamp: digital album
- Number of tracks: 3
- Total running time: 15:50
Credits
- All songs written and produced by Hanna-Mari Ojala
- Cover art and design by: Hanna-Mari Ojala
About H-M O
Bandcamp lists H-M O in Finland. Other Labile Records releases from H-M O include updownleftrightinout (August 2026), Suomijytää (July 2026), Adrift (July 2026), Memories of Merging (March 2026), Ikiäiti (February 2026), Ikiäiti (January 2026), Into the Void (November 2025), The Opposite of Light (November 2024), Human Display (September 2024) and The Lamenting Window (May 2024).
About Labile Records
Labile Records is an independent label based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its Bandcamp roster lists artists from across the United States and from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. Recent label releases covered here include Neutrino Effect's They Shall Bring Death Upon Us and Subtlemanor's Never Alone.
Listen
- Bandcamp. Sacred Garden on Bandcamp, sold as a digital album, with more from the artist at H-M O on Bandcamp.
- Apple Music. Stream Sacred Garden on Apple Music.
Disclosure: Labile Records is owned by the publisher of Unknowndivide.
