salvia palth (Adore, 1996)

Daniel Johann Lines (born 1996), known professionally as Salvia Palth (stylized in lowercase), is a New Zealand indie rock musician. He is best known for his 2013 album Melanchole, which he created at the age of 15. The album gained little traction upon its release, but later became viral online. This prompted Johann to release his second album, Last Chance to See, in June 2024. Despite this success, Johann does not play live shows and prefers to not use expensive equipment or studios. The name "Salvia Palth" is a pun on the name of the poet Sylvia Plath. He has also released music under the monikers Adore, 1996 and Daniel Johann. The person featured on the album cover of Melanchole is Briann Bermingham, Daniel's friend and member of the band Lacebark. Daniel Johann Lines was born and raised near Collingwood, New Zealand. He grew up in poverty and suffered frequent epileptic seizures, making him unable to play sports or secure a job. This led to the creation of Melanchole, as Lines was "the most depressed [he had] ever been." This emotion is also reflected in many of his unreleased songs from 2012-2015, most of which are under his own name. Johann originally considered Melanchole as practice, hoping to make an album he was more satisfied with in the future. The album he sought to create was supposed to be the first under a new moniker; Adore, 1996. The masters of the album were destroyed in a house fire; however, .wav file of the unfinished tracks survived, which he would later release under his own name, as Winter. From this point on, Johann started to make more electronic and experimental music which he would release under Adore, 1996, none of which would receive significant attention. At this time, Johann was struggling financially. He was working part time for a political polling company in Pōneke when he decided to check the revenue made from Melanchole, and discovered it had accumulated over $10,000 USD. He quit his job and the album only became bigger, eventually leading to him being able to live off of it. Johann then moved to Wellington and studied music production in university. He would focus more on writing and recording Last Chance to See, an album intended to, while still appealing to his younger audience, reflect his growth both emotionally and musically. This is shown through the more upbeat and experimental sound, which incorporates pop, bossa nova, and dub. During the creation of Melanchole, Winter, and The Earth Portrayed as God's Empty House, Johann was inspired by Phil Elverum, Elliott Smith, YYU, Mark Kozelek, and other artists. He opened for Phil Elverum in early 2013, playing songs he made with Dali Gale and Ike Zwanikken. Although Johann still retains love for the type of music created by those artists, Last Chance to See was inspired by Jai Paul, Roger Troutman, and Beck. As Salvia Palth Melanchole (2013) Last Chance to See (2024) As Daniel Johann The Earth Portrayed as God's Empty House (2013) Went Home About It / City Smells (2014) Winter (2016) D N S 5 X (2017) As Adore, 1996 U Left / Wake (2015) World Anti-God Freedom X (2016) "A LIVING MACHINE IN YOUR BODY WAITING". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 3 February 2025. "The quietly famous Kiwi musicians blowing up overseas". thepost.co.nz. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024. "salvia palth: The elusive NZ musician making it big on Spotify". 12 July 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024. "salvia palth's last chance to see Influences Playlist". floodmagazine.com. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024. "salvia palth's "last chance to see", and his allergy to capitalizing titles". panthernow.com/. Retrieved 16 November 2024. "salvia palth: The elusive NZ musician making it big on Spotify". RNZ. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025. "salvia palth: The elusive NZ musician making it big on Spotify". RNZ. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025. "Interview: Adore, 1996 | KDVS". kdvs.org. Retrieved 3 November 2025. "salvia palth's Daniel Johann Lines Is Charting A New Path Forward". Stereogum. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025. "salvia palth's Daniel Johann Lines Is Charting A New Path Forward". Stereogum. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025. Staff, The Alt Editing (12 June 2024). "Album Review: salvia palth – 'last chance to see'". The Alternative. Retrieved 20 October 2025. "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 20 October 2025. "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 20 October 2025. "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 20 October 2025. "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 20 October 2025. "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 20 October 2025. "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 20 October 2025.