Zanja Madre is the solo project of Martin Lopez-Iu. Mid-Latitudes is his debut album. Deeply rooted in places, the songs explore humans' relationship to landscape, drawing inspiration from such topics as the maddening Santa Ana winds of Southern California, the demise of the Mesoamerican Teotihaucan civilization, the breaking of the St. Francis Dam and William Mulholland's subsequent fall from grace, and phantasmal Icelandic cats.

Martin wrote the album during the time in which he relocated back to his home in Los Angeles and began to wrap his head around concepts of home and belonging, learning what it means to put down roots and truly belong to a place. 

The album was recorded intermittently over a couple years. Beginning in an isolated ranch house in Joshua Tree, CA and continuing in various practice spaces, friends' apartments and his parent's house in Los Angeles. He enlisted the help of his friends and longtime musical partners Amanda Jones, Joshua Fu, and Lee Harcourt, who lent their immeasurable talents and guidance to the album. The album was mixed by Brandon Eggleston (The Mountain Goats, Modest Mouse, tUnE-yArDs) in Portland, OR and mastered by Ryan Morey (Arcade Fire, SUUNS) in Montreal, QC.

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The album is dedicated to Martin's parents for their unwavering love, support and wisdom.