If there was any question about the transformation Chrystia Cabral’s SPELLLING project has undergone over the years in its evolution from ambient synth music to full-fledged art-pop, 2023’s SPELLLING & the Mystery School LP set the record straight with newly recorded versions of her most familiar tracks. Now, two years later, Cabral returns with a record of new material pushing further into uncharted territory: Portrait of My Heart is set for a March 28 release via Sacred Bones, and the title track and lead single indicates a sound that’s even more grounded in the world of terrestrial pop music than 2021’s breakout Turning Wheel LP.
“When the lyrics for the title track came together, it really started to morph everything in this more energetic direction, instead of this more whimsical landscape that I’ve worked with before,” Cabral shared. “It started to become more driven, higher energy, more focused. And I have a big affection for it because of that. I love that it feels like it withstood transformation, which is something I always want to aspire to with things that I make. I want them to have this sense of timelessness. It could exist like this, or like that, or like this, but this is the one for right now.”
Despite the bolder pop sound, the new track’s Ambar Navarro–directed video sees the songwriter confined to a tiny bedroom. Well, at least until she climbs into some other realm that’s more familiar to the SPELLLING project. Check it out below, and pre-order Portrait of My Heart here.
