By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – New York, Maya Bouldry-Morrison, the visionary producer and DJ widely known as Octo Octa, has officially pulled back the curtain on her latest full-length studio endeavor. Titled ‘Sigils For Survival’, the upcoming album serves as a profound meditation on a decade of personal and artistic evolution. Accompanying the announcement is the lead single, "Survival Groove," a track that offers a window into the rhythmic and emotional landscape of a project deeply rooted in the concepts of resilience, queer identity, and the ritualistic power of the dancefloor.
Scheduled for a global release on April 30th, the eight-track collection will be issued through T4T LUV NRG, the influential record label Bouldry-Morrison co-manages with her partner and frequent collaborator, Eris Drew. This new body of work arrives at a pivotal moment for the artist, marking exactly ten years since she publicly shared her truth and began navigating the world as an out transgender woman. For Bouldry-Morrison, ‘Sigils For Survival’ is more than just a sequence of electronic compositions; it is a commemorative vessel designed to honor the complex path she has walked since 2014.
In a candid statement shared via social media, Bouldry-Morrison described the recording process as a reflective exercise conducted throughout the previous year. She noted that the music is "deeply infused with love, witchcraft, play, and intention," suggesting a shift toward a more esoteric and ceremonial approach to production. The artist explained that the album was conceived as a milestone, capturing the duality of the past decade—a period defined by both immense joy and profound sorrow. By blending elements of house, techno, acid, breakbeat, and ambient textures, she aims to channel specific emotions and messages that have sustained her through her journey.
The conceptual framework of ‘Sigils For Survival’ is uniquely tied to the occult and the practice of manifestation. In magical traditions, a sigil is a symbolic representation of a practitioner’s desired outcome, a visual seal intended to focus will and energy. On this album, every one of the eight tracks is paired with its own unique sigil. These symbols are meant to "bind magic to the song and seal its intention," transforming the listening experience into a series of auditory spells. This intersection of dance music and mysticism has long been a hallmark of the T4T LUV NRG ethos, which often emphasizes the "healing power of the Motherbeat" and the shamanic potential of the DJ booth.
The visual identity of the project is a family affair, further grounding the album in personal history. The physical editions of the record will feature intricate illustrations by Bouldry-Morrison’s sister, Hope Morrison. These drawings serve to bring the abstract concepts of the sigils into a tangible, visual space. To complete the aesthetic presentation, the album’s layout was handled by João Ervedosa, a distinguished Portuguese DJ, producer, and graphic designer. Ervedosa is well-regarded in the international electronic community for his work on the ‘Paraíso’ documentary, which chronicled the vibrant and often overlooked history of the 1990s rave culture in Portugal. His involvement ensures that the album’s physical packaging reflects the same historical and cultural reverence found within the music itself.
To understand the weight of ‘Sigils For Survival’, one must look back at Octo Octa’s discography, which has often functioned as a public diary of her internal life. Her 2013 LP, ‘Between Two Selves’, released via 100% Silk, was a landmark release that captured the tension and vulnerability of a person on the precipice of a major life change. It was followed by 2017’s ‘Where Are We Going?’, an album that explored the search for community and belonging in an increasingly fractured world. By 2019, with the release of ‘Resonant Body’, Bouldry-Morrison had moved into a space of ecstatic celebration, utilizing high-tempo breakbeats and soaring house melodies to document a newfound sense of physical and spiritual liberation.
‘Sigils For Survival’ appears to be the synthesis of these previous eras. It takes the vulnerability of her early work and the celebratory energy of her later releases and tempers them with a decade’s worth of wisdom and technical refinement. The lead single, "Survival Groove," exemplifies this balance. It is a track that honors the functional requirements of the club while maintaining a core of emotional sincerity. The use of "survival" in the title is telling; it suggests that the act of dancing and the maintenance of a "groove" are not merely recreational activities, but essential tools for navigating the hardships of modern existence.
The timing of the album also follows a period of intense creative activity for Bouldry-Morrison and Eris Drew. In late 2023, Octo Octa contributed the standout single "Cabin Dance" to Drew’s highly acclaimed !K7 DJ-Kicks mix. That track, with its rustic, high-energy atmosphere, hinted at the direction Bouldry-Morrison was heading—a sound that is both grounded in nature and fueled by the mechanical pulse of the city. The synergy between Octo Octa and Eris Drew has become one of the most celebrated partnerships in contemporary electronic music, as they continue to champion a DIY spirit and an unapologetically queer perspective within the global techno and house scenes.
The upcoming album also highlights the artist’s role as an "autobiographical artist," a term she uses to describe her commitment to transparency and storytelling through sound. In an industry that often favors anonymity or detached cool, Octo Octa’s willingness to be "out" in every sense of the word—out as a trans woman, out as a witch, and out as a person who feels deeply—has earned her a dedicated following. ‘Sigils For Survival’ is presented as an attempt to encapsulate the specific techniques and intentions she has used to "move through life into a spell."
For fans and critics alike, the release on April 30th is expected to be a major event in the electronic music calendar. The album’s eight tracks represent a concise but potent statement, likely avoiding the bloat of modern streaming-era LPs in favor of a focused narrative arc. As the electronic music world continues to grapple with its own history and the inclusion of marginalized voices, Octo Octa stands as a beacon of how an artist can honor the roots of the genre—house and techno’s origins in Black and queer underground spaces—while pushing the sound into new, personal territories.
As the countdown to the full release begins, "Survival Groove" serves as the primary touchstone for what is to come. It invites listeners to prepare for a journey that is as much about the internal spirit as it is about the external dancefloor. With the support of the T4T LUV NRG family and the artistic contributions of Hope Morrison and João Ervedosa, Maya Bouldry-Morrison is poised to deliver a work that is not only a milestone for her own decade of survival but a roadmap for others seeking their own path through the music.
The album will be available across all major digital platforms, with a special emphasis on the physical vinyl release, which will showcase the full scope of the sigils and illustrations. As Octo Octa continues to bridge the gap between the material and the mystical, ‘Sigils For Survival’ stands as a testament to the enduring power of music to act as a protective charm, a celebratory anthem, and a bridge to a more intentional way of living.