SPELLLING (aka Chrystia Cabral) has released lead single “Portrait of My Heart” ahead of their upcoming fourth studio album of the same name. On Portrait of My Heart, the Bay Area artist reimagines her celebrated avant-pop project as a reflection of her own experiences, with lyrical content delving into the intimate realms of love, relationships, anxiety, and alienation. While moving away from the usual allegorical style of much of her previous work, Cabral describes the more direct approach on this project as “pointed into my human heart.”
“Portrait of My Heart” is a powerful track that has a lot of intentional direction behind it. As the album’s centerpiece, it serves as an emotional showstopper sitting at track one, setting the stage for what’s to come. The track’s driving chorus “I don’t belong here” is an anthem of working through anxiety as it relates to performing and creating. Cabral ponders, “If this is what I’m supposed to be doing, and that I’ve chosen this life path, why does it cause me so much discomfort all the time?” This thought process, steering SPELLLING’s increasingly emotional direction, is what we can look forward to see materialize on the upcoming album. It may be a slight departure from the more whimsical avant-pop SPELLLING sound, but Cabral is confident that the more energetic and focused direction has given a sense of adaptability and timelessness to the music that ultimately allows her and her band to hold an even larger affection for it.
“Portrait of My Heart” is released ahead of SPELLLING’s upcoming 2025 album of the same name, which will be out March 28th via Sacred Bones. Pre-save and pre-order the new album here.
The video below, created by LA-based director Ambar Navarro, delves into the intense process of making art and the obsession that can arise when creativity consumes you.
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