Chelsea Wolfe’s seventh solo full-length (and her first in around five years), She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (Loma Vista Recordings), seems to represent something of a rebirth for Wolfe, both in terms of thematic content and sound.
The simple cyclical wording of the album title perhaps expresses this idea better than a paragraph could, alongside the way this title is presented on the album cover, in a swirling and never-ending circle.
In the credits Wolfe even thanks her “future self” and indeed the album itself “for showing me the path forward, even when I didn’t know I was lost.”
These concepts are heavy, heady, and more than a tad mystical. And the music itself also fits that description. Although Wolfe worked with a trusted team on the composition, arrangements and production, the sound is perhaps a little unexpected initially.
Whilst many “fingerprints” of Wolfe’s style are still here, there is a much heavier dose of Electronica than people might be used to. Programmed drums often dominate, and many of the layers seem to emanate from synthesizers, alongside the usual heavy guitars and (of course) Wolfe’s resonantly haunting voice.
There are some moments when She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She feels like a metal record with added electronic layers, but more often it closely resembles the darker side of trip hop (Portishead’s Third album perhaps being a fitting reference).
Although the album has the kind of density or deepness that demands multiple listens as a whole, there are several highlights that jump out with more immediacy.
Album opener “Whispers in the Echo Chamber” has Wolfe singing and whispering (simultaneously) over pounding industrial beats and massive guitars that could make even Trent Reznor cower.
“Everything Turns Blue” feels as though Wolfe is channeling a more abrasive Tori Amos. “Eyes Like Nightshade” is one of the most “out-there” tracks, with its rattling noise soundscapes, glitch beats and Björk-esque distant wails.
The dramatic, cathartic, and strangely joyful final track, “Dusk”, wraps everything together with catchy hook-laden vocals as it marches towards its beautiful and abrasive wall-of-distortion peak.
It is also notable that, in keeping with the ouroboros-like theme, the album is bookended with “heavier” rock-oriented and riffy tracks, whilst the more surreal (even psychedelic) electronic songs sit in between.
She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She is one of those records that is difficult to write about because it refuses to be fixed into one box. Perhaps some casual Chelsea Wolfe fans may dislike the change in direction. Equally, this record could be seen as more “accessible” to some — it could be a work that allows Wolfe to gain an even bigger following. Ultimately, none of that probably matters very much to Wolfe, for whom this seems to be an intensely personal release (in more than one sense of the word).
She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She is as graceful as it is defiant, as futuristic as it is nostalgic, and as deep as it is immediate. If you’re open-minded and appreciate beautifully dark music riddled with hidden layers then give it a few listens and make your own mind up.
Perhaps, to paraphrase the woman herself, it could even show us a path forward when we don’t know we’re lost. Time will tell.
Buy the album here:
https://i.chelseawolfe.com/SROTSROTS
8 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS