Bacchanalia Magazine

by Willow Marie

Chelsea Wolfe has crafted a hauntingly beautiful image for her work over her past 6 albums, each one filled with an indescribable amount of comforting darkness that grasps you in its clutches and pulls you along the journey of her staggering mind. Her 7th record ‘She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She’ is to be released on February 9th, and certainly embraces that dark and heavy sound, whilst being an ‘invitation to step into your authenticity’. It perfectly envelops the cyclical process of growth, healing and the development of the self.

‘Whispers in the Echo Chamber’ is the opening track and is written about self acceptance, and cutting ties with people who create an absence of good in your life. There is a heavy contrast between Wolfe’s eerie, melodic vocals and the intense atmosphere of the track that threads together exquisitely and emphasises the anguish throughout. Wolfe sings about ‘bathing in the blood of who [she] used to be’, which suggests that cutting people out from her life is not as easy as it may seem and she is still suffering with her past self.

‘House of Self Undoing’ is a more upbeat track, and as Wolfe describes it, an “underworld journey”. Through this song, she describes the fierce reality of sobriety and the feeling of being ever-present in her existence, getting to feel things to the full extent opposed to the numbness she once experienced. The lyricism throughout this track is unmatched and is an exceptional display of Wolfe’s talent.

Up next is ‘Everything Turns Blue’ is a song about finding your true self after being in a harmful/toxic place for so long. With individuality comes great pain and great joy, but it is worth enduring to no longer suffer with someone else. This track has a solemn aura to it, almost mourning a relationship, but also being extremely happy to be out of it and needing to be rid of that person – ‘What do I have to do to heal you out of me?’

A simple yet melodic song follows on from this, discussing the topic of coming to face the reality that you must pull yourself from the depths of your own darkness. ‘Tunnel Lights’ is written about basically just getting by, and not letting the darkness consume you, instead learning to let the light guide you into a better place (both mentally and physically).

‘The Liminal’ is about not being ready for anything new, but not willing to go back into the past. Perhaps the void is comforting, you don’t have to grieve the past or worry about the future, but then again that is incredibly looming and anxiety-inducing. As Wolfe puts it, this track is written about “just finding stillness for once in your damn life”. The instruments in the song create a sense of serenity, and Wolfe’s vocals penetrate that peace, seize you by your neck and pull you into reality’s clutches.

The next track has a rather intimate feel to it, with Wolfe’s whispering, dulcet voice flowing smoothly throughout. ‘Eyes Like Nightshade’ makes many references to the plant Belladonna (also known as deathly nightshade) which people once used to dilate their pupils. This imagery feels almost lascivious and beautiful in a way that is impossible to describe. With its pulsating instrumentals and ASMR-like vocals, this is a one-of-a-kind track, and perhaps has earned itself the title of one of the best tracks on the album.

‘Salt’ is a less intense but equally as powerful track on She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, and the message behind it is incredibly strong. It is a reference to the coexistence of our lives on technology, and our very real tears that fall in the quietest hours of the night. Wolfe quotes Khalil Gibran when speaking about this track – “There must be something strangely sacred about salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.” She also uses salt as a reference to her connection with magic, as salt is often used as a symbol of protection.

‘Unseen World’ is written about disassociating from anything familiar and descending into something dauntingly unknown. The imagery created in this track is absolutely otherworldly, especially during the line:

‘Ever-turning wheel binds our hands together, wed the shadows to the light as the pendulum swings to the tide.’

The fact that this unknown world can only be felt, never seen, brings a whole new level of beauty to this track that could only ever be crafted by Wolfe herself.

The penultimate track on the record is incredibly quiet & triumphant compared to the rest of the album, the slow ascension of the beat creates a blissful atmosphere for the listener. ‘Place in the Sun’ is about finally becoming aware of and making peace with your own presence after being disconnected with your body for a long time. Wolfe sings, ‘the lungs are the wings of the heart’, which means to breathe is to fly. This track urges you to find comfort and safety in this world no matter how much suffering and insecurity it tries to bring about, because nobody deserves to feel out of place when it’s somewhere they belong.

‘Dusk’ is the final song of the album and ends this masterpiece on a mythical note. It explores the realms of agony and unity, two things that don’t usually go hand in hand, but are perfectly woven in this track. This track is written about going through hell and back with someone you hold deeply in your heart and still managing to maintain that connection. Wolfe wrote this as a heavy love song and she has portrayed this extremely well, each lyric bringing about an ineffable gut-wrenching, intense emotion. –

“Angels, vampires. one breathes life unto the other; branded, baptised by your love and by your hunger”

Overall, Chelsea Wolfe has done a phenomenal job creating She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, and I urge you to listen to it.

Presave She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She here: