Review: Chelsea Wolfe is Reborn on She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
Self-reflection and healing may not be in the immediate vocabulary of most metal music out there, but the latest from Chelsea Wolfe, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, takes those concepts to a new level with a finesse that she’s so adept at mustering.
Reviews are normally a space for criticism instead of the musician’s own take, but Wolfe’s explanation of the album’s cryptic name needs to be mentioned before really diving into things, since it explains a lot about the album.
“It’s a record about the past self reaching out to the present self reaching out to the future self to summon change, growth, and guidance. It’s a story of setting yourself free from situations and patterns that are holding you back, in order to become self-empowered. It’s an invitation to step into your authenticity.”
Like most of Wolfe’s albums, the songwriting was done alongside her closest collaborator, Ben Chisholm, as well as drummer Jess Gowrie and guitarist Bryan Tulao. The songs were mostly written remotely during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 she brought the music to producer Dave Sitek to produce the album.
The record starts off with “Whispers in the Echo Chamber,” which combines synthy elements with strong, metal-heavy moments and layers it all through a trippy quality. “House of Self-Undoing” tackles the topic of sobriety following a rough life on the road, a timely topic, and pulls in some of the indie influence behind her early work.
“Everything Turns Blue” is one of the strongest tracks on the album, dark and industrial-influenced with a major edge to it. The record wraps up with “Dusk,” which ties in psych rock and doom elements to put a bow on top of this eclectic, heavy, and varied record. “Tunnel Lights” is another standout track, calling in the old and the new with a spacey, trippy vibe and also some classic indie-meets metal vibes. Meanwhile, “Unseen World” is classic Wolfe, with lilting, sad, and spacey vocals that blend in perfectly with the equally spaced out guitars.
This record serves as a culmination of what the artist has done so far, paying equal tribute to what has come before, the healing that has since taken place, and what her reality is now. While this could be said of all her work as a whole, this record in particular captures where she’s at right now in her musical journey. Starting as a dark indie artist and weaving her way through the worlds of metal and electronica, Wolfe has found a way to finally and cohesively pull all her influences together on this album.
Chelsea Wolfe’s She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She will be available tomorrow, February 9 via Loma Vista Records.
