Blondshell is one of the most acclaimed emerging artists in the world
The rock-souled singer-songwriter Blondshell, born Sabrina Teitelbaum, has announced her second album, “If you asked for a picture”out May 2 on Partisan Records. Returning to the studio with producer Yves Rothman, the project was immediately characterized by an urgency and ambition that had already emerged in 2023’s self-titled debut album. thanks to its specificity, self-analysis and easy humorhas transformed Blondshell into one of the most acclaimed emerging artists of recent years. But today the Los Angeles voice wants moreespecially now that it has found its way after some unsuccessful attempts such as the more pop one carried out under the name of Baum and abandoned. Fans can already get a taste of the new album: “T&A”, whose video was directed by Hannah Bon, is a musical version of the saying “men are like dogs” and at the same time addresses the theme of vulnerability.
Teitelbaum recounted: “There’s a Rolling Stones song on ‘Tattoo You’ called ‘Little T&A’ where at one point they sing ‘tits and ass’. I’ll start from that. I think in music it’s easy to see things as more sexualised or more romantic depending on your point of view, I wanted the song to be both. It’s a love story, perhaps not the most fairytale of love storiesbut I wanted it to feel like a really narrative song, where one thing leads to another and then you end up somewhere you didn’t expect. This isn’t usually how I write, but I wanted something new“. The singer-songwriter previously shared another track from the album “What’s Fair,” which combines 1990s alt-rock with Southern California pop punk. “If you asked for a picture” borrows its title from a 1986 poem by the beloved American writer Mary Oliver, titled “Dogfish”. In it, Oliver tackles the idea of telling one’s story: how much to share, how much to keep to oneself, all questions Teitelbaum asked herself as she wrote the songs. “There is a part of the poem that says: ‘I don’t need to tell you everything I’ve been through. It’s just another story of someone trying to survive’ – he continued – one thing I love about songs is when you are showing a snapshot of a person or a relationship: showing a glimpse of a story can be as important as trying to capture it entirely. Sometimes that detail is even truer than the whole image…”.
The changes compared to the first project (here is our review)? “The first record felt really black and white to me. This one has more questions,” he admitted. This second chapter includes ballads and colossal hooks to the stomach, distortions and harmonic games. She says she was inspired by projects like “Rated R” by Queens of the Stone Age and “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Blondshell’s 2023 self-titled debut album highlighted her songwriting: visceral rock songs and pop anthems, introspection and humor, all blended together. In the summer of 2024, he made appearances at high-profile festivals including Governors Ball, Glastonbury and Lollapalooza. In support of her previous album, she performed on The Tonight Show and CBS Saturday and received countless awards at the end of the year and ended up on the list of the best singers of 2023 chosen by former US president Obama. Now the journey is about to begin again, eyes are turned towards the sky: Blondshell wants to become a star.
