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Mere of Light releases new album

Profile view of Elise McArdle with her eyes closed and a sunbeam illuminating her face
Mere of Light recently released her new album “Heat of Ritual.” (Photo: Leo Morningstar)

May 18, 2026

New Orleans harpist Elise McArdle, a.k.a. Mere of Light, released her new album Heat of Ritual on April 24 on the Lighten Up Sounds label. The album features six tracks of acoustic folk harp, analog synthesizer, drum machine, and voice, which McArdle blends using multitrack sampling and electronic processing. A press release describes the album as “modulating between ethereal ambient and structured pop rhythmics [and] rooted in themes of magic, fantasy, and feminism.”

The album is available via Bandcamp.

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