Jehnny Beth: You Heartbreaker, You

"A decade later, she's still needling her way to the heart, but on You Heartbreaker, You, her first solo album in five years, she's entangled in the power struggles of love and desire. She chops and swims her way through these thicket-dense songs, swallowing the static of complicated relationships and howling feedback in response. Rather than the halogen flash of clarity, she applies a trickster's touch, inventing power games and getting off on the confusion."

"Beth has traced the record's genesis to her performance at the 2023 Aftershock festival in Sacramento, saying, "The connection with the audience was so intense and real, I made a mental note to write a record with that energy in mind." This may seem strange for someone who already spent half her shows being held aloft in the pit, but playing for a crowd who'd been entertained the night before by Korn and Slipknot's Corey Taylor clearly made an impact."

Jehnny Beth transforms disciplined post-punk poise into a solo record that examines power dynamics in love and desire. The songs move through dense emotional thickets with abrasive textures, static, howling feedback, synth, and chamber-pop touches. Beth favors a trickster's approach, inventing power games and embracing ambiguity over moral clarity. The album's energy was shaped by a charged festival performance and performing for unexpected heavy-music audiences. Earlier solo work leaned toward synth, country, and soul; the new record emphasizes heavier, performance-driven intensity while avoiding the high-gloss production of mid-1990s heavy-rock producers.

Read at Pitchfork