Chelsea Wolfe - ‘She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She’ review
Chelsea Wolfe by Ebru Yildiz
Alternative goth musician Chelsea Wolfe released her twelfth album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, on 9th February via Loma Vista Recordings. Wolfe describes the album as a “powerfully cathartic statement about cutting ties.” She reminds listeners that the healing journey is “not a simple linear process.” The album title is symbolic of Wolfe’s statement about the cycle of healing. Her past self is connected to her present self is connected to her future self…and back again. Everything goes in a circle, as shown on her cover art, reminding one of the ouroboros the mythological symbol of the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth.
This album was carefully put together by Wolfe with the help of multi-instrumentalist Ben Chisholm, drummer Jess Gowrie, guitarist Bryan Tualo, mixing engineer Shawn Everett and Dave Sitek. Her previous releases have included notable collaborations, such as her last album with Tyler Bates for the slasher horror film X soundtrack.
“Whispers in the Echo Chamber” is the perfect introductory track to Wolfe’s self-exorcism. She’s risen out of the darkness of who she used to be, ‘bathing in the blood’ of her former self. She sings: “I’ve shed a thousand skins since then.” Once again, the ouroboros comes to mind. The song shapeshifts; pausing and dimming down…before turning full-force once again – undoubtedly, a creative reference to Wolfe’s growth.
In “House of Self-Undoing,” Wolfe bridges EDM and electronica genres while sharing her deeply personal experience with getting sober; her self-undoing.’ Something about this song reminds me of Muse’s Absolution era with the full-force drums, growling bass, synth chords, and her high, breathless vocals.
“Everything Turns Blue” is about “finding yourself again after a long era of being part of something toxic,” to quote Wolfe. The lyrics point to a toxic relationship: “I’ve been thinking about you/You f****ed me up in my dreams/What do I have to do to heal you out of me?” Now, she’s learned to take the present version of herself for granted, no longer longing for something so dysfunctional. There’s a twisting distortion to her vocals, mirroring her internal trajectory.
The musically and metaphorically cataclysmic “Tunnel Lights” was released as a single in November ahead of the album. In this track, Wolfe has finally found the tunnel lights, beckoning her forward in pursuit of more well-being. There’s “No way around it/No way to fight it/A pull too strong,” Wolfe explains.
“The Liminal” is an ethereal, eerie track where Wolfe describes her relationship with liminality. “All you left behind was your exoskeleton/A spectral reminder of all that we’ve become” is a nod to her past self. She begins to roar, “I’m the storm and I’m the centre/I’m your poison/I’m your tincture.” She’s a conflicting duality all at once. There’s an essence of Radiohead in this one with the simplified piano chords in the background and Wolfe’s ghostly vocals.
More of a dark club banger, in “Eyes Like Nightshade,” Wolfe’s vocals are intimate and whispering, like much of this album, but she’s almost untraceable here, jumping in between the spatial fields with the abrupt changes in the musical landscape. “Past the borders of the frame/Ink on the page/Eclipse me, reveal me,” something is alive and feral here, and it’s those poisonous eyes.
“Salt” is a tribute to self-inflicted pain: “All for you, I will break me.” Salt is all around her, and it’s in her tears. It’s become a part of her and the girl she used to know, exemplified here: “Salt in our memories/Salt marks a map of your existence/Salt on the sill/Salt in the sea.” A lovely fuzzy synth comes in now and then, warming up the track alongside her distorted vocals. The bass ripples, forming a dynamic backdrop. Disturbing backing vocals – almost cries – echo out into the song.
More synth goodies feature in the next track, “Unseen World.” The pounding drums set out a rocking motion into the track; again, that rippling feeling is present. Wolfe is diving deeper into the ‘unseen.’ “Feel it ‘til it’s time/Grieve and redefine” paints her catharsis, now ready for rebirth. Aggressive synth hits punch out the end of the track with Wolfe’s humming as a delayed drum spirals out of control.
“Place in the Sun” feels like a ray of sunlight bursting through the clouds. Out of Wolfe’s gloomiest moments, she’s finally claimed her ‘place in the sun’ and feels at home in herself, no longer contained by her demons: “I am safe in this body/safe in this heart/I have made it this far/To live this life.” This song is more of a slow ballad, lulling the listener into its gravitational pull, and then mutating into a cataclysmic send-off, preparing for her final song.
“Dusk,” signals a completion to She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She. An emotional finale with rich electric guitar, action-packed drums, and a resonant bass right at the end of the song. Wolfe has gone ‘through the fire,’ she aptly states before “Dusk” wraps up.
All ten tracks of She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She share an inner glimpse of where Wolfe has been, where she is now, and where she’s headed. I find this album particularly gutsy with its subject matter and Wolfe’s vulnerability and rawness. This is an album that needs to be witnessed and experienced.
She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She by Chelsea Wolfe is out now via Loma Vista Recordings and available on all good streaming platforms. Over the next five months, Wolfe will perform at fifty locations worldwide as she begins her upcoming international tour.
