There is something instantly magnetizing about Chelsea Wolfe’s music. Digging through her discography will unveil tireless creativity and a constant need to evolve, keeping her in a constant state of transition. Her latest outing is no different, the music of She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She is just as mesmerizingly complex as its title. For 10 tracks, Wolfe explores the moments in between intense emotions and stretches them across chaotic arrangements, all while nimbly navigating neck-breaking electronics with soaring vocal performances. The world of pop needs an artist like Chelsea Wolfe, and she is filling her role as the avant-garde philosopher perfectly in her latest outing.
Attempting to unpack She Reaches Out in one listen is a futile task. This sounds like the album Wolfe was always meant to make. Nothing feels forced, a natural chaos erupts around every corner as Wolfe tip-toes around dense drums and distorted tones. Underneath the dark production are some of the best songwriting moments of Wolfe’s career. Her words juxtapose the menacing instrumentals by injecting nuggets of wisdom that are oddly hopeful. While at times the hectic arrangements can drown out Wolfe’s stellar songwriting, a second listen will unveil a world hidden under the surface. Like the lost city of Atlantis, Wolfe hides emotional poetry under these instrumentals just waiting for someone to discover them and welcome them into their psyche. She Reaches Out To is bursting with nuanced musicianship and is perfectly structured so those nuances jump out at you at just the right time.
Wolfe is making the world of avant-garde pop her own, experimenting with textures and tones within the structure of the genre’s tropes. You need to know the rules to break them and after the sonic roller coaster of Wolfe’s latest, it is clear she has a clear comprehension of her genre. Hectic drum patterns are contradicted by whimsical melodies to create alien-like textures you won’t find on another album. Her originality is at the core of this sonic landscape, creating a free-roaming world for Wolfe’s songwriting to dance around in. Even in the more conventional moments like “Everything Turns Blue”, Wolfe makes it undeniably her own via otherworldly melodic phrasing and a vocal range that seems to grow with every passing note.
Like a prophet, Wolfe descends from her left-field pop throne to deliver the good word. Songs like “The Liminal” explore the root concept of She Reaches Out To, the middle ground between thoughts and emotions. By focusing on what isn’t there, Wolfe was able to create her own reality. She speaks to us from beyond modern music as a time traveler sent back to deliver a message. The message is one of acceptance and risks, follow your lofty ideas and you just might land on something as magical as She Reaches Out To.
Chelsea Wolfe explores a whole new realm of pop music on She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She. For 10 electronic-driven tracks, Wolfe pens stirring balladry with hidden messages just waiting to be uncovered and held tightly. This is one of those albums that is meant to be taken on the go and experienced in the world. Rather than falling in line with her peers and grabbing at the next big thing, Wolfe seemingly created the next big thing. Not that the sonics of this album are going to become the new norm, they can’t be. She Reaches Out To is a one-of-the-kind listening experience with paid-off risks and expertly crafted off-kilter pop.
