This is the ninth album from Chelsea Wolfe, a solo alternative rock artist from the US.
Chelsea Wolfe’s new record delivers 40 minutes of darkly expressive music for the listener to fall deeply for. The Dark is a record that once encountered, is not soon forgotten.
A range of different influences have gone into The Dark. From acoustic folk to electronica to alternative to strings to understated rock to dark pop and more. Chelsea Wolfe’s songwriting is broad, yet constrained. In other words, no matter what any individual song is doing, it all flows naturally and instinctively. The songwriting is effortlessly well-crafted, and the execution mesmerising.
The Dark is a record that lives and breathes deep emotion. It’s a sumptuous feast of feeling, yet never gluttonous. Chelsea Wolfe uses the precise tools for the job – no more, no less. The Dark is supremely efficient with its time, wasting nothing, while delivering the sort of immersive sounds that are utterly spellbinding.
There are no weak tracks. There are no crappy interludes or filler of any kind. Every song is a masterclass in songwriting skill, with a delivery to match. The record is diverse too – each song has a character and a flavour of its own, incorporating different styles and influences as it will. It almost goes without saying, but Chelsea Wolfe’s voice is amazing throughout this record, with a performance that matches the quality and diversity of the material. Even within this though, some songs are especially strong – Cold and Halo both being particularly special. All-told though, the end result is a record that’s unreasonably excellent.
Chelsea Wolfe has stuck gold with The Dark. This is a exemplary record, one that’s utterly essential for anyone with a taste for a captivating feeling-rich listening experience.
