Mark Gane of Martha and the Muffins Releases Ambient Solo Debut, Garden Music
New album inspired by plants and memory now streaming on Apple Music, Bandcamp & Qobuz
TORONTO — Mark Gane, co-founder of legendary Canadian band Martha and the Muffins and the creative force behind the timeless hit “Echo Beach,” has released his first solo album, Garden Music—an experimental instrumental project rooted in nature, memory, and sonic exploration.
The Toronto-based composer and visual artist spent decades collecting field recordings, studio scraps, and found sounds before crafting this ambient, genre-defying collection. Inspired by plant names and imagined inner worlds, Garden Music offers 11 intricate tracks including “Bee Balm,” “Feverfew,” and the atmospheric “Love Lies Bleeding”—the only piece to feature vocals with the line:
“Honey Bee you’re gone for good, and so I sing this song…”
Gane credits the album’s seed of inspiration to his longtime partner and musical collaborator, Martha Johnson, who encouraged him to blend his three passions—music, painting, and gardening—into one project.
“She said I should do a solo project that combined my three great loves,” says Gane. “Eventually, I started asking: If plants were people, what would their lives sound like?”
The result is a richly layered sonic landscape that echoes the likes of Brian Eno, Pauline Oliveros, and Boards of Canada, but with a deeply personal touch. Critics are calling it “a film that passes before the eyes of our ears” and “a whimsical wander through the author’s imagination.”
The album was mixed by Ray Dillard and mastered by Graemme Brown at Zen Mastering. Gane recommends listeners play the album lying down, in the dark, to fully absorb the soundscapes like wind rustling through lavender at dusk.
Though renowned for his groundbreaking pop work with Martha and the Muffins—including collaborations with Daniel Lanois and David Lord—this new solo debut reveals a different side of Gane: contemplative, solitary, and visionary.
Garden Music is available now on Apple Music, Bandcamp, and Qobuz.
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🌐 Official Website
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🎧 Stream: Apple Music | Bandcamp | Qobuz
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