Drawn to the confessional nature of songwriters such as Patti Smith, Elliott Smith, and Tracey Chapman, alt-rock upstart Sabrina Teitelbaum, aka Blondshell, has applied a similar approach with her vulnerable and often uncomfortable lyricism. Pulling at the threads from bands of grunge’s golden era – where pain and performance are inextricably tied – her angry, cathartic brand of guitar music hits like a bombshell.
Teitelbaum’s earliest music-related memory was seeing The Rolling Stones with her father during their A Bigger Bang Tour in 2005. “It was insane and my mind was completely blown”, she reminisced after hearing the first chords of ‘Start Me Up’, coupled with the formidable stage production. So from a very early age, Teitelbaum grasped the impact of making an immediate impression.
But it was her upbringing in her chaotic New York City household that left a lasting imprint of her artistry. Seeking comfort in musicians ranging from Joy Division and the Velvet Underground to Imogen Heap and Elliott Smith, Teitelbaum – in her ‘fingerless glove phase’ – would perform the songs of her current favourite artists at local open mic nights to channel her frustrations. As an awkward teenager, frequenting the Lower East Side was a process of discovery as a budding musician, but also in terms of her sexuality as she became more confident in her queer identity.
It wasn’t till she relocated to California and the showbiz hubbub of Los Angeles, where she currently resides, that her career would begin to take flight however. Taken under the wing of Yves Tumor and Girlpool collaborator Yves Rothman, Teitelbaum crafted her sound and nurtured her angriest, rawest self. It resulted in the guise of Blondshell, a vehicle for her to examine the wounds of her relationships and heal them. “You wouldn't sing about getting saved if you didn't think things could actually get better” her Spotify bio states, and this notion is the driving force behind her songwriting.
In her debut single ‘Olympus’, released in June 2022, Blondshell faces a former toxic relationship that enabled an affinity for harmful substances: “I wanna save myself, you’re part of my addiction / I just keep you in the kitchen while I burn” she candidly sings. It’s deceptive in its outcome as the dreamy, serene production cushions her song’s subject matter. Her follow-up single ‘Sepsis’ amped up the alt-rock overtones however, as Teitelbaum becomes more unrestrained in the metaphors she uses to describe the effect of her past love.
The frank – and often unflattering – candour that typifies Blondshell has already drawn plenty of praise from respected music publications in just a few months since her first release. Her support slot with angsty Mercury Prize Award nominees Porridge Radio during their 2022 North American tour - where she’d cover 90s favourites Built To Spill - and a one-off show at The Lower Third in London only weeks later proved that audiences on both sides of the Atlantic are equally receptive.
In 2025, in support of her sophomore album If You Asked For A Picture, Blondshell announced a UK tour with dates at London's Electric Brixton, Brighton's Chalk, SWX in Bristol, Manchester's New Century, Oran Mor Auditorium in Glasgow, and Leeds' Brudenell Social Club throughout September.
