SPELLLING, the experimental pop artist who received a ton of positive reception for 2021’s “The Turning Wheel,” has returned after a 2023 album of re-recordings with “Portrait of My Heart” released on Friday, March 28. This album sees SPELLLING singing with her usual whimsicalness and charm over alternative and pop rock instrumentation.
The album begins with the titular song “Portrait of My Heart.” With its glorious strings and epic vocals, this is an excellent way to open the album. It almost feels like an anime opening or part of a movie soundtrack. “Keep It Alive” continues the cinematic instrumentation, even adding synths on top of everything else.
“Alibi” is one of the most mesmerizing songs on the album. From SPELLLING’s breathy vocals to the lyric “You’re a psychopath and I loved you for that” in the chorus being about prioritizing yourself over someone who you once loved, there is a lot to like within the song. It feels like summer as a song and at times the guitars sound similar to the indie rock band Car Seat Headrest.
“Waterfall” has a boring and predictable melody progression. SPELLLING’s lyrics and vocals carry the song easily, but this isn’t something with a lot of replay value like the other songs.
“Destiny Arrives” has synths that sound like foundational electronic artist Mort Garson’s “Plantasia.” Perhaps there’s an influence from the plant-inspired album with the pretty lyric “A miracle grows at night, quietly like a flower so shy, hoping not to see the sun, the radiance,” though that’s a reach. The chorus is cryptic themed around love and destiny arriving. What this destiny could be is interpretive.
“Ammunition” has an absolutely gorgeous piano melody paired with a jazzy ballad-like percussion. There’s something really cool about the imaginative lyrics about eloping and evading the law. The lyric “À la vie, à la mort, mon chéri” translates roughly to “Like life, like death, my love” from French. Judging from the lyric, “Hello, my bride,” this song is about a queer relationship between two women.
“Mount Analogue” has some of SPELLLING’s most amazing vocals. Her prowess is on auditory display in this song especially by the chorus and the instrumental meshes well with it. The lyrics are simple and short, giving the sonic landscape more breathing room.
“Drain” has some of the best guitar playing on the entire album. Its heaviness is super pleasing to the ears. It almost feels like an alt-rock or softer metal song from the 1990s. The back end of the 5-minute song has a jarring and cathartic soundscape.
For a song named “Satisfaction,” the song is depressing. The synths at the beginning are foreboding, and SPELLLING begins the vocals on the track with “Let me die” lets the audience know they’re in for a trip. The guitars are heavy and simultaneously ugly and beautiful, while synth layers on top are sugary and nice on the ears. There’s a more metal-sounding section of the song with heavier drums by the end.
“Love Ray Eyes” resets the album and gives an enjoyable and fun listening experience. SPELLLING is beginning to forge her own sound now in her own way. It’s beautiful to hear just the guitar melody and synths on this song.
“Portrait of My Heart” ends with “Sometimes,” a collection of four verses over a shoegaze-like guitar sound wall and synths. It sounds majestic and breathtaking and SPELLLING’s vocals are the cherry on top.
SPELLLING is one of the most unique and talented vocalists in contemporary pop music. It would be difficult to follow up after something like “The Turning Wheel” after all of the hype it got, but she stayed true to her sound and creativity and experimented more instead of trying to repeat the same successes of her previous works. SPELLLING is an artist in the most authentic usage of the word.
Rating: 4/5