Sabrina Teitelbaum, who uses the stage name Blondshell, poured out her heart and soul into her debut self-titled album, Blondshell, released on April 7.
After playing as the opening act for Suki Waterhouse’s tour, Blondshell is now venturing out on her own through releasing her first album and preparing for an upcoming tour in Europe and North America. The album is named after Teitelbaum’s stage name, Blondshell, and its songs are, fittingly, reflective of her personal life. The album covers her personal relationships and internal struggles, two topics many members of her young fanbase may connect with.
The album kicks off with “Veronica Mars,” a single released in 2022. The song is a reflection of the message of the album, which is to show boldness in being transparent about sex, drugs, and relationships. Teitelbaum references the TV show, Veronica Mars, recalling her childhood experiences of being exposed to the dark hardships of life through the media.
Teitelbaum wrote most of the music in Blondshell during the COVID-19 pandemic. The track “Kiss City” talks about her true, intimate thoughts on the difficulty of modern day dating and relationships. In this slower track she reveals how she wants different things from what others want nowadays.
“I think my kink is when you tell me that you think I’m pretty / Did you expect something different?” Blondshell sings.
The lyrics of “Kiss City” capture how conventional love and relationships are now overlooked. Intimacy and feelings become a taboo that the younger generation seems to avoid, which Teitelbaum tries to expose in this track.
All of the tracks seem to contain a sense of melancholy. Teitelbaum’s voice brings out a main theme of the album, which is Blondshell’s feeling of being strained in her youthful life. Although her melancholic vocals suit the themes of Blondshell, the heaviness of the music sound becomes repetitive.
But regardless, the main component of Blondshell is the message it presents in its lyrics. It is clear that Teitelbaum writes from the bottom of her heart, which indicates her devotion to the music.
The lyrics in “Sepsis” speak deeply about her need for validation, especially from men. Teitelbaum sings about her relationships with all genders, but her problems always come back to her frustration around men.
“He’s gonna start infecting my life / It will hit all at once like sepsis,” Blonshell sings.
These lyrics explore Blondshell’s insecurity when it comes to men, but her album does not solely focus on her ineptness for self-validation. Teitelbaum also sings of friendship and sobriety, which is insinuated in “Sober Together”—even the title of the song is emblematic of the two concepts. According to a press release from Grandstand Media, the song was a “therapeutic” song to compose and write for Blondshell, highlighting how the album is not only a raw exposition of her struggles, but a commemoration of her youth.
Blondshell acts as a gateway for younger audiences to become comfortable in talking about their anxieties and insecurities. The songs cover unsettling topics, but does so through a personal and relatable approach.
