Blondshell by Blondshell

I love getting in on a new band on the ground floor and watching them rise to the top. 26-year-old Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum, otherwise known as Blondshell, is a great example of this experience. I saw her and her band open for Porridge Radio (#12 last year) at the tiny 200-person venue Barboza in September 2022. At the time, she had released exactly three songs (“Olympus,” “Kiss City,” and “Sepsis” – the latter of which is featured in the video above). Three months later, she was signing a record contract with Partisan Records, home of recent Bacon Top 31 faves Fontaines D.C. (#20 in 2022, #12 in 2020, and #26 in 2019) and IDLES (#24 in 2020 and #16 in 2018) among many others. And now, a year later, she’s released a superb, Obama-approved self-titled debut.

Prior to 2020, Teitelbaum performed under the name BAUM, and had a distinctly different musical personality. BAUM’s music was more centrally Pop with a capital P, and she had a minor viral hit with a song called “Fuckboy.” Listening to that song now, while a little catchy, it unsurprisingly sounds immature and hollow. As COVID started to settle in in early 2020 she made the switch to Blondshell (a name she and her sister came up with over dinner one night). After a couple years of rumination and deep thinking, the first Blondshell song to be released, “Olympus,” came out in June 2022. Over the next year, the magic appears to have taken over as she assembled what became the debut album.

Blondshell has clear linear ties to similar sources as Indigo de Souza did, but Teitelbaum feels more singularly Courtney Barnett, a Bacon Top 31 fave (#5 in 2021, #8 in 2018, and #5 in 2015), and further back into 90s rock, like Hole or the Cranberries. When I saw her perform back in 2022 she played a cover to Built to Spill’s “Carry the Zero,” which came out in 1999. Being a huge BTS stan, of course this had some positive influence on me, personally. You can watch her “KEXP Live Performance” to see her and the band in action, or watch the handful of additional videos she’s released from the album:

“Salad”
“Joiner
“Veronica Mars”
“Street Rat”

We’re getting into the portion of the Top 31 where every artist becomes a must-listen. There’s no “give this a try,” it’s all very much “stop what you’re doing right now and listen.” And that’s where I‘ll end this review. Do it. Now.

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Valentine by Snail Mail

At 22 years old, Lindsey Jordan has accomplished more than most. She’s released a critically-acclaimed debut album under her solo project name Snail Mail (2018’s Lush). She’s moved out and moved back in with her parents (thanks, Covid-19). And she’s released an even more widely acclaimed sophomore Snail Mail album, the exquisite Valentine, dropping in here at #7.

There are many comparisons to draw from when trying to quantify Jordan’s music. THere’s the inevitable comparisons to Hole, or Juliana Hatfield. And anything she does wouldn’t have been possible without the existence of Liz Phair. Today, I talk about Snail Mail in the same breath as King Princess, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers. But none of these do her sound justice.

Her voice is more breathy, as if she’s on the verge of losing it. The songs go from slow ballads about relationships on their last legs, to groovy songs about recovery (according to Pitchfork she did a stint in rehab in November, 2020), to hard rock surprises like the title song shown in the video above.

I liked her debut album, but connected with it too late to include on the 2018 Top 31. Lush feels less polished, less experienced than Valentine. But if you like the song in the video above, then you’ll really connect with Lush, as that album is the more hard rock of the two she’s put together. Despite billing herself as a solo act, she has a full band performing behind her lead vocals and guitars. Bass, keyboards, drums, rhythm guitar, and backing vocals are all there. And even some guest stars: last year’s #1 on the Top 31, Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) sings background vocals on “Ben Franklin” (the aforementioned song about recovery – watch the video).

As I mentioned, Jordan is only 22 years old. There’s a lot more ahead for her, and I’m anxious to see where she heads. The growth seen between albums one and two was huge. The next album has got to be even better.

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8. sketchy. by tUnE-yArDs
9. A Very Lonely Solstice by Fleet Foxes
10. Hey What by Low
11. Local Valley by José González
12. Head of Roses by Flock of Dimes
13. The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows by Damon Albarn
14. Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks
15. Loving In Stereo by Jungle
16. Flying Dream 1 by Elbow
17. Screen Violence by Chvrches
18. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice
19. Mainly Gestalt Pornography by Pearly Gate Music
20. Peace Or Love by Kings of Convenience
21. These 13 by Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird
22. Mr. Corman: Season 1 by Nathan Johnson
23. Home Video by Lucy Dacus
24. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico by Various Artists
25. Siamese Dream by Fruit Bats
26. NINE by Sault
27. Observatory by Aeon Station
28. The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania by Damien Jurado
29. A Beginner’s Mind by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
30. Where the End Begins by Knathan Ryan
31. Private Space by Durand Jones & The Indications

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#12 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Blondshell

#7 on the 2021 Bacon Top 31 — Snail Mail