Album Review: Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture

Blondshell

If You Asked For A Picture

*** out of *****

On her excellent 2023 self-titled debut album, Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum) expertly laid out her pain and broken relationships around throwback 1990's alt-rock sounds. For her follow-up, If You Asked For A Picture, the Los Angeles based artist keeps the tales of poor life choices and relationship failures coming, but this time tones down the backing tracks for more pop-rock friendly sound.

Teitelbaum is reunited with producer Yves Rothman as she looks to capitalize on the success of the first album by offering more of the same, but with mainstream polish. The opening "Thumbtack" sets the tone as Teitelbaum continues her disaffected vocals but this time uses acoustic guitars before incorporating slowly building easy pop rock instrumentation.

That smooth music/broken lyrics plays out in various forms throughout the album. The easy pop strumming of "Two Times", the new wave inspired "Toy" and the slow building travelogue of "Event of a Fire" are laidback, flowing musical trips into Blondshell's destructive relationship lyrics. While Teitelbaum uses her main vocals as melancholy armor, keeping the listeners at a distance, her layered backing vocals on the languidly swaying, Cranberries sounding "23's a Baby" are nuanced and soaring, proving her vocal power can come out to play when it wants to. 

"T&A" uses a good groove around bad decisions while "Arms" shakes with warbling riffs, but both stay on the pop side of rock. That vibe sticks around for the Veruca Salt meets Alanis Morissette sounding "What's Fair" and the overly dramatic "Change" as both would probably improve with a bit more alt-rock feedback, direct energy and a palpable sense of musical danger.

The album ends by digging a bit more into that grit as the dreamy "He Want's Me" fuzzes up the sound while the the drug fueled "Man" uses heavy drums, thick guitars and Teitelbaum's not caring vocals to expert effect. The finale, "Model Rockets" is the best of the pop leaning bunch, a laundry list of self doubt around swelling instrumentation and nuanced vocals as Teitelbaum continues the search to find herself.

That is the overarching theme on Blondshell's sophomore album If You Asked For A Picture. The young artist continues to puts her problems out there for people to see/identify with, as the musical backing becomes a bit less adventurous this go around, diluting a bit of the emotional impact. 

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