Album Review: Portrait of My Heart - SPELLLING

With her fourth studio album Portrait of My Heart, SPELLLING, also known as Chrystia Cabral, has decided to step confidently into new emotional terrain. Peeling away the layered symbolism and surrealism that once defined her work in favor of something more personal, Cabral invites us into the vast and complex reality that exists within her. Known for crafting worlds from otherworldly textures, Cabral instead turns inward on Portrait of My Heart, exchanging her usual mythic narratives and celestial metaphors for a more grounded, humanist vulnerability. The result is a rich, emotionally saturated record that expands her sonic palette while simultaneously clarifying and centering her voice as an artist.

To fully appreciate Portrait of My Heart, it’s important to first trace the entirety of Cabral’s discography. Her debut album Pantheon of Me introduced us to a DIY experimentalist with a taste for spectral R&B and gothic synth-pop, channeling bedroom-produced mysticism into a haunted tracklist. She refined this sound with her sophomore record Mazy Fly, a critically acclaimed release that pushed further into Afrofuturist storytelling and eerie, analog dreamscapes. Then came The Turning Wheel, her magnum opus of theatrical orchestration and baroque pop grandeur. This record served as a kaleidoscopic concept album about transformation, societal structures, and rebirth. The Turning Wheel flirted with Broadway-style melodrama and chamber pop, setting the stage for what felt like a definitive culmination of her maximalist vision.

But Portrait of My Heart is something almost entirely different. It’s more vulnerable but no less ambitious or at times abrasive, demonstrating a move from operatic allegory to more confessional and heartfelt songwriting. Tracks like “Alibi” utilize 90s alt-rock aesthetics and instrumentation, while “Keep It Alive” pulses with the kind of emotional urgency Cabral previously disguised behind her character-driven songwriting. “Destiny Arrives” is an obvious standout — its soaring chorus and cosmic arrangement channels the spiritual awe of Mazy Fly, but with a new emotional clarity. Cabral’s voice glides with conviction and wonder, turning fate into a kind of gospel. Equally compelling is “Drain,” a slinky, bass-heavy dirge that morphs and winds its way into an earned cathartic release. Its ghostly atmosphere and stark lyrics evoke emotional exhaustion without sacrificing its groove, capturing the ache of disillusionment in a way that feels haunting and hypnotic. Her closing cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “Sometimes” wraps the album with grace by distilling shoegaze melancholia into a heartfelt plea; it encapsulates the record’s emotional transparency. By choosing to cover this song, SPELLLING identifies herself with the progressive and visionary artists that paved the way in the same genre that she’s now exploring and defining.

Collaborators such as Toro y Moi and Turnstile’s Pat McCrory help translate the album’s emotional intensity into genre-blurring arrangements. The fingerprints of SPELLLING’s past remain: otherworldly synths, spectral vocal layering, and theatrical flourishes emerge like ghosts from older records, gently reminding us that Cabral’s surreal sensibility hasn’t vanished, but instead that it has grown and evolved.

Ultimately, Portrait of My Heart doesn’t abandon Carbal’s past; it synthesizes it. Where her previous work explored mythical identities and societal abstractions, this album brings those lessons inward, asking what it means to love, to hurt, and to heal. It’s SPELLLING’s most vulnerable and personal work yet, and thus her most bold and courageous. By unmasking herself, she invites and encourages the listener to do the same.

Favorite tracks: “Portrait of My Heart,” “Keep It Alive,” “Alibi,” “Destiny Arrives,” “Ammunition,” “Mount Analogue,” “Drain,” “Love Ray Eyes,” “Sometimes”

SCORE: 9.0/10

Album Review: Forever Howlong - Black Country, New Road

Shortly after its release in 2022, Black Country, New Road’s sophomore album Ants From Up There was heralded by many critics and fans as an instant classic. Packed to the brim with complex instrumentation and deeply-compelling lyricism, the album helped the young band achieve heights that many bands simply dream of, and this was with only one release (For the first time) under their belts. Ants From Up There’s rollout perfectly complemented the bittersweet themes of success despite struggle throughout the project, as the group’s lead vocalist and co-founder Isaac Woods announced his departure just days before its release, citing his mental health. Ants From Up There, which I consider a masterpiece, exists as a time capsule of Black Country, New Road and who they were when Isaac was contributing both musically and spiritually to the outfit. While his identity is found deeply throughout every moment on Ants From Up There’s tracklist, the gorgeous backing instrumentation and talented musicians who supported him also helped lift the project to the level of ascendancy that it reached. There was just one problem with this success… the group no longer had its lead vocalist moving forward, and fans’ hopes and expectations for their future were sky high.

Luckily for them, though, those same talented instrumentalists also happen to serve as incredibly unique and gifted vocalists with their own perspectives, aesthetics, and performance choices. In 2023, the group released Live at Bush Hall — their first output since Isaac’s departure. This performance was not released as an official album, but instead as a collection of dynamic performances and tracks that showcased each band member’s individual skills and styles. While there were some growing pains found throughout this release, the cohesion and raw talent that put the band on the map in the first place was still very apparent, and there was hope that they could forge a new identity upon future releases.

That brings us to the subject matter of this review. On April 4th, 2025, Black Country, New Road released their third full-length studio album Forever Howlong. Over the course of this project’s rollout, the band released three ambitious singles: the opening and harpsichord-laden track “Besties,” the beautifully discordant “Happy Birthday,” and the long-awaited, until-then-unreleased fan favorite “For the Cold Country.” Each of these tracks features a different lead vocalist, with Georgia Ellery, Tyler Hyde, and May Kershaw takings the reins, respectively. All three women have a cohesive and somewhat similar sound, but their differing perspectives and artistic nuances add so much character throughout the album as a whole. While all of these singles are great and serve as reflective examples of what the album’s themes consist of, the album is best consumed from start to finish, because there is just so much you don’t want to miss.

The sometimes larger-than-life, grandiose, and progressive instrumentation and vocal performance found throughout Ants From Up There is turned up a notch on Forever Howlong. The group has no hesitations when deciding to ignore standard time signatures or experiment with typical song structures, instead opting to create songs that constantly develop, build tension, and defy norms. That allows moments like the whimsical opening of “The Big Spin,” the insane tempo change on “Two Horses,” or the signature peculiar lyricism of the title track to not only pay off, to build upon one another to create a cohesive experience.

Each song on this album is absolutely necessary, and while there are still some areas of opportunity for the group’s new identity to expand, many of the tracks here are among the group’s best, which is saying a lot when considering the absurdly high bar they have set for themselves. Haunting lines like “I make eye contact with the dawn / We both look away” and vignettes like those found on “Nancy Tries to Take the Night” are both career highlights for the band. Additionally, the project gains new depth and complexity upon each listen — sonically, lyrically, and thematically.

Ants From Up There is my favorite album of the decade so far. While I was cautiously hopeful that Black Country, New Road would be able to pivot and adjust post-Isaac, I never expected them to craft such a unique and impressive sound and identity so quickly. Isaac’s impact is still felt deeply on this album despite his absence, and I hope he is well. While they may not have been able to capture lightning in a bottle twice with this project, Black Country, New Road’s Forever Howlong is a joyous and jubilant clap of thunder signifying a rebirth of some of the world’s most talented musicians proving that they are here to stay. How long? Forever, I hope.

Favorite Tracks: “Besties,” “The Big Spin,” “Socks,” “Salem Sisters,” “Two Horses,” “Happy Birthday,” “For the Cold Country,” “Nancy Tries to Take the Night,” “Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)”

SCORE: 9.3/10

Album Review: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - Billie Eilish

Three years after the release of her critically-acclaimed sophomore album Happier Than Ever and multiple Oscar-winning ballads, Billie Eilish faced a monster more terrifying than any of those she doodled in her famous teenage notebook — Writer’s Block. Her rise to stardom was a surge so sudden and seamless that some deemed it impossible to be anything other than an industry plant, and it eventually started to feel like swimming upstream for the alternative pop megastar. Billie isn’t afraid to share her fears that she could already be on her way out or that her 15 minutes of fame are up. Those same fears, and consistent collaboration with her musical mastermind brother FINNEAS, may have been exactly what pushed her to keep swimming and write her way out of a corner, culminating in Eilish’s third and most personal studio album yet, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.

When Greta Gerwig set out to create her box office smash hit film Barbie, she did so with the intention of creating a genuine portrayal of the unique and singular experience of womanhood through one of the most nostalgic and feminist icons in American culture — the Barbie doll. Knowing that the film’s score had to capture and convey its seemingly simple yet devastatingly complex and relevant themes, she sought out Billie to contribute as one of the world’s most talented songwriters. “What Was I Made For?” resonated with so many people because it channeled womanhood in its most poignant and pure form, matching the film’s themes and tone perfectly. After the success of that track, Billie found herself struggling to create the same flowstate of productivity in the studio that she had with her two album releases prior. After countless attempts to capture that same lightning in a bottle feeling, she used the speak-from-the-heart approach that she did for Barbie to write the opening track “SKINNY” for HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.

The album’s stripped back ambient acoustic guitar and softly sung lyrical content help develop Billie’s new theme of opening albums with life updates; giving her listeners a snapshot of what has been on her mind since they heard from her last. “SKINNY” is an immediate tear-jerker that introduces the album’s narrative themes of loss, regret, new love, and self discovery. “LUNCH” is a perfect example of Eilish coming to terms with every aspect of herself — a no-holds-barred, innuendo-packed and lustful banger in every regard.

The following three tracks showcase FINNEAS’s ability to foster and hone in on Billie’s innate musical instincts. “CHIHIRO” may be a career highlight, with its crescendoing synths and guitars that build to the point of bliss. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is a beautiful ode to loyalty, commitment, and staying strong for others even when the going gets tough. “WILDFLOWER” also builds continually while outlining the messy and complicated intricacies of Eilish’s friendships and role helping navigating others’ failed relationships.

“THE GREATEST” and “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” utilize similar songwriting structures by starting slowly and eventually exploding in their back halves. The first utilizes “Happier Than Ever”-like rock guitar instrumentation over some of Billie’s most ambitious vocal deliveries yet, and the second evolves into an 80’s synth-heavy bop so well-received by fans that Eilish released an extended cut of the track just days after the album’s release.

“THE DINER” and the first half of “BITTERSUITE” are where some of my criticisms of the album come to the forefront, unfortunately. The first reverts to the tonal aesthetics of her first album over what some are calling a “Luigi’s Mansion typebeat” — I love the internet sometimes — and while its perspective switch to the eyes of one of Eilish’s stalkers is a creative choice, its lack of sonic development makes it stand in the shadows of the tracks that come before it. The second is a narrative extension across songs, something Eilish does very well throughout this album, but its initially slow progression just fails to captivate me. That, of course, changes in the end when Eilish introduces the fan favorite and long-lost chord progressions of “True Blue”, an unreleased but idolized track from her early days of touring.

Now a combination of “True Blue” and “Born Blue”, “BLUE” is another album highlight, featuring self-referential songwriting that references every other song on the project. Its second half leaves things off on a more dark and mysterious note, setting Eilish up to take her musical career in any direction that feels natural to her and her brother.

While others have connected the dots on what fans are calling the ILOMILO theory, essentially that this project could be the first half of a potential double-album drop, I am completely content with HIT ME HARD AND SOFT being the product of Eilish’s hard work in escaping the beast of the void that is Writer’s Block. Of course I would be excited to hear more, as I love ambitious and fan-centric surprise artistry, but this is also more than enough for me. I thought there would be no better way to return to my blog after 5 months of inactivity than positively reviewing a genuine, incredibly-talented artist who learned how to swim upstream by creating lightning instead of catching it in a bottle. This is instantly a contender for album of the year, and I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

Favorite Tracks: “SKINNY” - “LUNCH” - “CHIHIRO” - “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” - “THE GREATEST - “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” - “BLUE”

SCORE: 8.7/10

Album Review: Javelin - Sufjan Stevens

It had been nearly a decade since indie music legend Sufjan Stevens released a solo singer-songwriter studio album when he announced his 2023 return: Javelin. Before venturing into more experimental territory with albums like 2020’s The Ascension, Stevens found success sharing his impeccable storytelling skills with now classic projects Illinois and Carrie & Lowell. Not one to release an album just for the sake of doing so, Stevens instead releases reflections packed full of emotional revelation and catharsis for his fanbase to relate to. Javelin doesn’t divert from this formula; while this is an exciting and triumphant return for Stevens, it comes with a heaviness in the context of its origin. In its accompanying message, Stevens shared that he tragically lost a life partner earlier this year, and it quickly became evident that this project is an embodiment of his grief. His recent diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome also shapes this project’s context — Stevens is navigating unimaginably difficult circumstances, but doing so with a musical beauty and intentionality in ways only he could. His most personal project yet, Javelin is an accomplishment in both storytelling and thematic resolution, and perhaps his best work to date.

The album’s themes and ideas resonate much stronger in the context of loss and grief, such as the opening track “Goodbye Evergreen,” with lines like “Goodbye evergreen / You know I love you / But everything Heaven-sent / Must burn out in the end.” Lamenting his fear, describing his circumstances as “poisoned pain,” and coming to grips with this new reality is his heartfelt way of setting the stage for what’s to come on this project. The following “A Running Start” turns back the clock to a more joyful time in Stevens’ life — the lovely beginnings of a relationship that celebrates the beauty of new romance and the sublime feeling of being in nature. The album’s turbulent dichotomy of emotions comes next with “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”, a highlight on the project that eagerly and tragically questions if the narrator will be able to again recapture the love that he has just depicted and eventually lost.

“Everything That Rises” utilizes acoustic guitar and ethereal background vocals to elevate its many biblical and literary references. “Genuflecting Ghost” is a haunting and cascading ballad of communicating to a parted loved one. “My Red Little Fox” sees the narrator begging their lost love to visit them from beyond, to “kiss (them) from within … kiss (them) like the wind.” These tracks all effectively and chillingly develop a tragic narrative and aesthetic that acts as a through line for the rest of the project.

The album’s back half is just as strong and powerful as its compelling start. “So You Are Tired” is an all-time Sufjan track that creates a melancholic hole in its listener, carrying an emotional weight of relationship struggles unlike most songs I’ve heard attempt to do so. There’s a addictive and hopeful beauty to this song’s instrumentation that stands in stark contrast to its helpless lyrics. The album’s title track captures the essence of its core messaging: that those in relationships hold power in restraint over one another, and that the recognition of that ability to resist inflicting pain is both a necessary and terrible realization to face, particularly in relationships as true and complicatedly beautiful as Sufjan’s. “Shit Talk” expounds on these themes, reflecting on the intricate complexities of forgiveness, grace, and compassionate understanding of a partner’s shortcomings, especially when choosing unconditional love for them. “There’s A World” is a re-imaging of a Neil Young classic in Stevens’ aesthetic, serving as a hopeful and appreciative closer to an emotionally-complicated project.

There is beauty in struggle. Hard times bring loved ones closer together. Grief is real and unavoidable. On Javelin, Sufjan Stevens concisely and gorgeously reveals the intimate and unimaginably challenging details of his relationship with his partner, himself, and the world around him. Simultaneously a deep look into an artist’s psyche and a spellbinding, relatable, and necessary piece of art, Javelin is one of the greatest musical accomplishments about the beauty in grief and hardship in my lifetime. I wish Sufjan all the best and thank him for the magnificent art that he gives to the world.

Favorite tracks: “Goodbye Evergreen”, “A Running Start”, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”, “Everything That Rises”, “My Red Little Fox”, “So You Are Tired”, “Javelin (To Have And To Hold)”, “Shit Talk”, “There’s A World”

SCORE: 9/10

Album Review: Weathervanes - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Country is likely the most divisive genre in all of music. While legends like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton are widely regarded as some of the greatest musicians of all time, many of today’s most popular country artists make headlines for the contrarian and conservative ideologies that constitute their overly simplistic songwriting. While many of the genre’s tropes are predictable and made for the masses, country music’s conventions and aesthetics can also enable artists to engage in incredible storytelling. A historian and adoring fan of the roots of his genre, Jason Isbell’s poetry and hard-hitting lyricism have elevated his music above the noise since he joined the scene. He has described each of his albums as a snapshot in time that captures his current mindset, and the maturity of both his sound and character have been evident with every release. Weathervanes is no different — on Isbell’s newest record, he offers some of the most intricately orchestrated and carefully crafted tracks of his entire career. His masterful storytelling, instrumental choices, and thematic cohesiveness makes this one of the most exciting albums of the year so far.

Each of this album’s lead singles are tasteful examples of all of the flavors it has to offer. “Death Wish” gnashes and grapples with the devastating reality of navigating a relationship with an addict. “Middle of the Morning”, born from the pandemic, explores the existential dread of cabin fever that lockdowns forced on us all. “Save the World” directly confronts the tragedy of school shootings, which unfortunately has to directly affect the way Isbell parents his daughter. “Cast Iron Skillet” creatively and expertly uses common Southern idioms to highlight the backward, brainwashing ideologies that Isbell was taught justify the injustices he saw in the world. Highlights from the project in and of themselves, Weathervanes’ lead singles are complemented by the rest of the album’s tracklisting.

As previously stated, Weathervanes is made up of some of Isbell’s biggest songwriting accomplishments to date. “King of Oklahoma” is a heartbroken and sprawling violin-backed ballad describing the shattered remnants of a failed relationship. “If You Insist” is a tragic track that features the most show-stopping lyrics from the entire album: “My momma spent every day alone / In a house of noise and names / She got so tired putting out fires / She just laid down in the flames.” That line is so effective and chilling that it still gives me goosebumps every time. “White Beretta” narratively recalls Isbell’s experience with navigating an unplanned pregnancy with a previous partner — one of the project’s most understated yet poignant and important political statements. “Miles” is an epic, 7-minute long journey that morphs and evolves over its long runtime, serving as a perfect closer for this album. While not every track here hits its mark, a vast majority are very strong and others are some of the best in Isbell’s discography.

The unclear direction of tracks like “When We Were Close” and “This Ain’t It" left me wanting more from ideals that didn’t feel fully fleshed out, but these shortcomings were more than made up for by the rest of this fantastic project. Jason Isbell’s perspective is a unique and important one in country music — his Americana roots and poetic lyricism are better than any in his field, and Weathervanes may just be his best album yet.

Favorite tracks: “Death Wish”, “King of Oklahoma”, “Strawberry Woman”, “Save the World”, “If You Insist”, “Cast Iron Skillet”, “Volunteer”, “Vestavia Hills” “White Beretta”, “Miles”

SCORE: 8/10