SPELLLING Unveils New Single, “Alibi”
New Album, Portrait of My Heart, Out March 28th On Sacred Bones
(Photo Credit: Sarah Eiseman)
“Chrystia Cabral, a California songwriter who records as Spellling, proclaims ‘I don’t belong here!’ with mounting vehemence in ‘Portrait of My Heart,’ which will be the title track of her fourth album, due in March. She sings about a psychological and spiritual crisis — ‘I need a stroke of luck / ’Cause I kicked down all my angels to the dirt’ — in a crescendo of choppy drums, layered guitars and orchestral strings, exulting in the drama.” — The New York Times
"I just love this rock turn for her. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the record... It just was a burst of energy that I absolutely needed right now." — Ann Powers, NPR Music
SPELLLING (aka Chrystia Cabral) unveils the new single, “Alibi,” from her forthcoming album, Portrait of My Heart, out March 28th on Sacred Bones. Following the album's lead single/title track, “a plainly universal experience made cinematically big through SPELLLING’s unforgettable voice” (The FADER), “Alibi” is a crunchy, riff-y track featuring Turnstile guitarist Pat McCrory who transformed Cabral’s original piano demo into the version that appears on the album. On “Alibi,” Cabral fearlessly draws the curtain back, discussing the way she can throw herself recklessly into intimate relationships and then cool on them just as quickly.
In Cabral’s words, “On ‘Alibi’ I’m tapping into the almost kind of comedic and hysteric relief that kicks in when you make it out of the other side of a toxic relationship. Once the spell is broken and clarity restores good sense there’s just this buoyancy to life that lets you laugh at the absurdities.” On the chorus Cabral sings: “You’re a psychopath / And I loved you for that / But I won’t take you back this time / And I don’t take it back Yeah I won’t take it back.” She cites Liz Phair as an influence for “Alibi”: “I’m a huge fan of Liz Phair and I let myself channel her very candid and penetratingly plainstated approach to lyricism. This song definitely unlocked this angsty side of myself that was very cathartic and fun to release."
Working with a trio of producers—The Turning Wheel mixing engineer Drew Vandenberg, SZA collaborator Rob Bisel, and Yves Tumor producer Psymun, and guest musicians including Turnstile's Pat McCrory, Chaz Bear (Toro y Moi), and Zulu’s Braxton Marcellous helped shape Portrait of My Heart. Ultimately, though, Portrait of My Heart is nobody’s record but Cabral’s. She fearlessly draws the curtain back on parts of herself that she’s never included in SPELLLING before—her feelings of being an outsider, her overly guarded nature, the way she can throw herself recklessly into intimate relationships and then cool on them just as quickly. “It’s very much an open diary of all those sensations,” she says. There’s a real generosity in that, as listeners may recognize themselves in Portrait of My Heart in a way they haven’t on past albums. It’s the sharpest, most direct SPELLLING album to date.
Stream/Watch “Portrait of My Heart”
Pre-order Portrait of My Heart
SPELLLING Tour Dates:
Fri. April 4 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Thu. April 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Fri. April 25 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
Sat. April 26 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar
Mon. April 28 - Austin, TX @ Parish
Tue. April 29 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Wed. April 30 - New Orleans, LA @ Santos
Fri. May 2 - Atlanta, GA @ The EARL
Sat. May 3 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
Sun. May 4 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. May 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. May 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Sat. May 10 - Amherst, MA @ The Drake
Mon. May 12 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
Tue. May 13 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Wed. May 14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. May 15 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Sat. May 17 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Mon. May 19 - Reno, NV @ The Holland Project
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | TikTok | Sacred Bones
No comments:
Post a Comment