*50 copies limited edition* Chaparral is a collection of field recordings, drones recorded on trumpet and trombone, feedback from a metal sheet and mixer, and various samples, including heartbeat, bells, and pencil on paper. The three pieces came together over the course of December 2025 to March 2026, drawing from improvised material and found sounds, combined to gradually create a sense of structure.

The work is concerned with Nev Wendell’s relationship to the city she lives in at this point in time. A sense of place is never separate from the experience of living in it, and this interplay is central. Her connection to Los Angeles and the landscape that it is nestled within surfaces throughout the work, whether or not explicitly site specific field recordings are present.

Despite living in Hollywood, a chaotic and at times surreal environment, it is possible to move quickly into the quiet chaparral of the Hollywood Hills. The initial sensation is one of separation from the noise of the city, followed by a gradual adjustment of the ear to a softer but equally active soundscape. Crows, hawks, scrub jays, mockingbirds, crickets, black flies, planes passing overhead, other hikers, the sound of rocks periodically slipping down the faces of the canyon, and the movement of wind through sage, needlegrass, oak, and sycamore contribute to a specific sense of place that is held within the work. The recordings reflect a movement between different levels of perception and awareness that arises through sustained attention to environment.