Italy's OvO and Canada's Nadja got together during the last few dogs days of summer 2009 in their adoptive city of Berlin at Einstuerzende Neubauten's andereBaustelle Studio. With engineer Boris Wilsdorf at the board, each duo began two songs and had the other duo finish them--Bruno Dorella and Stefania Pedretti adding heavy, pounding rhythms and harsh, eerie vocals to Aidan Baker's and Leah Buckareff's ambient textures and bass-heavy drones. As the four were having coffee after the sessions in the back garden, a wasp, drugged on sugar, flew into Buckareff's coffee cup and drowned itself, traumatizing everyone at the table. 
The Life and Death of a Wasp, while still heavy and retaining the signature sounds of both groups, turned out groovier and mellower than either party expected. But this mellowness gives the songs a greater sense of presence and allows for the intricacies and nuances of each individual's contributions to be properly heard. With a final mastering by James Plotkin, the album sounds simultaneously harsh and lush, aggressive and warm.