Snakes & Ladders from Snakes & Ladders by Semper Viridis

What is the meaning behind ‘Snakes & Ladders’ (the song)?

KP: I see this song as a rallying cry to all people who are oppressed and othered. The words to me represent a ‘fuck you’ to the patriarchy and to the systems that try to crush joy, individuality and destroy our home, the earth.

There are many references to the story of ‘original sin’. The garden, knowledge, the tree, being fallen… etc. Other lyrics represent goddess energy - the adder and the asp, smoke and ash, etc…as the antithesis to that narrative. The song challenges the outdated concepts and antiquated ideas (‘Exploitation. Condemnation. Expectation.’) that are employed by those ‘in charge’ in an attempt to gaslight and control.

What is unique about the production of the song?

NH: Even though it’s more and more standard practice, Kirsten and I didn’t create any of the songs on the EP together, in fact practicing for our first show was the first time we performed any of the songs together.

For ‘Snakes & Ladders’ specifically, when I sent the track to Kirsten it was only drums and the arpeggiated synths, if there was any bass it wasn’t what ended up on the final version. After Kirsten sent it back, the melodies she sang inspired the rest of the arrangement, and speaking only to my experience, it’s rare that even with such a sparse arrangement her vocals were able to influence the harmonic structure of the song.

KP: This was the last song we recorded for the EP. When I first came up with the lyrics/arrangement, I wasn’t sure if I even liked it or not. I thought maybe the spoken word sections were a little iffy, but the feedback I got from Jerret (Mixtape Meditation), Nate and our mixing engineer was the opposite. It’s become one of my faves now. Especially in conjunction with the amazing video Jerret created from stock footage from the 60’s I found. I think it really captures the vibe and energy of the song and our music.

We were born in the spirit of collaboration from the source of all things. Two souls who share a vision and a collective mindset… we channel the life changing power of creativity. We are celestial twins who are driven to share our love of music with the world.