New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Recording and performing under the name Blondshell, Sabrina Teitelbaum has quickly put herself on the map with the release of her first two singles this summer: her debut "Olympus," and last month's "Kiss City," which was included in multiple roundups including The New York Times' "
Playlist" and FADER's "The 20 best rock songs right now."
Today, Pigeons & Planes' Artist To Watch shares new single "Sepsis," once again exemplifying her incredible songcraft through tension-building soft-to-loud transitions. Raw and anthemic, its brutally honest lyrics cover therapy, toxic men, and 'getting saved by validation' - but with an optimism that things can get better if you ask for what you deserve in a relationship.
The video for "Sepsis" was shot in Los Angeles on a Super-8 camera and directed by Seann Bryan. Of the single, Teitelbaum shares, "In the thick of COVID, I became obsessed with Hole's song 'Doll Parts' and it inspired me to write something cathartic and pissed. I wrote 'Sepsis' as a way of getting anger out - anger towards people who have treated me as if I didn't deserve very much care and anger towards myself for accepting that treatment.
I wanted to create some accountability with this song and also sing about the counterproductive nature of trying to outrun loneliness. Most importantly I wanted to give myself permission to be as dramatic as possible and say aloud that I'm afraid bad feelings might actually kill me."
The L.A.-based Teitelbaum recently played her first show as the support for Horsegirl at The Echo in Los Angeles, resulting in a viral TikTok moment of her performance. Next month she will be taking Blondshell on the road opening for Porridge Radio. The dates kick off
September 6 and conclude on
September 17. The tour makes a stop in LA on Sept 7 for a show at Lodge Room.
Additionally, she has announced a London date on Sept 26th and the exciting news that she has been added to this year's Austin City Limits Festival. Tickets are on-sale now and all dates are listed below.
Around the release of "Olympus" Stereogum called her words "raw and tough and vulnerable," and
Nylon remarked, "There are few artists who can grip you with the first song you hear, but in three minutes and 44 seconds, Blondshell makes her presence known. Just try not to immediately hit repeat."
UPROXX pegged her a "Must Hear Indie Artist" and NYLON included her in their "Indie's New Artist You Need To Know" list. Blondshell is the angriest, clearest and most vulnerable side of Sabrina Teitelbaum. Blondshell is a woman who knows where her wounds are and instead of looking away. She studies them, cleans them, and sews them back up.
Growing up in the early 2000s in a chaotic New York City household, Teitelbaum sought comfort in the music of legends like Patti Smith, Joy Division and the
Velvet Underground. In a fingerless gloves phase, she found
Imogen Heap and Elliott Smith, singing their songs at open mic nights around Manhattan. She discovered her sexuality around this time and found confidence in her queer identity while walking around the Lower East Side and listening to
Tracy Chapman and
Sophie B. Hawkins.
Teitelbaum quickly learned to tell her own stories through songwriting and found relief in confessional lyricism - equal parts devastating and droll, sexy and tempestuous, yet always deeply relatable. It took her some time and a previous project to find her sound, but she has always clung to uncompromising truth in music, having honed her technique with producer Yves Rothman.
In addition to the fall tour, Blondshell has plans to release more singles throughout 2022.
Tour Dates:
Tue Sep 6: San Diego, CA @ Casbah w/ Porridge Radio
Wed Sep 7: Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room w/ Porridge Radio
Fri Sep 9: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop w/ Porridge Radio
Mon Sep 12: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir w/ Porridge Radio
Tue Sep 13: Seattle, WA @ Barboza w/ Porridge Radio
Thu Sep 15: Boise, ID @ Neurolux w/ Porridge Radio
Fri Sep 16: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court w/ Porridge Radio
Sat Sep 17: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake w/ Porridge Radio
Mon Sept 26: London, UK @ Lower Third * NEW DATE
Fri Oct 14: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits * NEW DATE
