She’s back with producer Yves Rothman, and it shows—this is easily the glossiest she’s ever sounded. What’s surprising is that the polish doesn’t dilute the emotional impact. The title track is proof enough. Acoustic and electric guitars scrap with each other, the drums hit hard, and then the chorus arrives fuzzed-out and huge. If you only have time to hear one song off this album, make it this one. It’s also a good reminder that she’s at her best when things get loud and a bit messy.

That raw energy carries the entire first half. “Heart Has To Work So Hard” stomps along with synths and a faint industrial rattle, while “New Age Trojan Horse” delivers the best groove on the record, driven by a lurching fuzz bass. It’s hard to sit still for a song that pointed. But “Stone Fruit” is the track that’s really stuck with me. The guitars push forward while the drums keep it steady, and the whole thing just simmers, tense and ready to go off. I kept waiting for the release, and I loved that it never came.

Then the record exhales. “Lucky” is mostly piano, with a Smiths-esque heartache, and it manages to sound sad and hopeful at the same time, like smiling through hard times. “Sea Legs” name-checks Leonard Cohen and drifts along on synths, then “New Shape” uses quiet acoustic strumming to navigate betrayal and insecurity. I really appreciated how it pulls back right before it gets overly dramatic. That built-up drama explodes in “Reinstall,” swelling into something cinematic, before “Fur Elise” closes the album with heavy riffs and a sadness that lingers long after the music stops.

If I have one real complaint, it’s that the album occasionally feels a bit too careful. Her debut was scrappy and thrilling, while last year’s If You Asked For A Picture leaned into a tidier pop-rock sound. Violins lands somewhere in the middle: bolder than its predecessor, but not as wild as where she started. The lyrics are more oblique this time too, and they ask you to do some of the work. Not every image pays off, though the ones that do really stick. Still, I came away impressed. This is an artist widening her frame without losing her bite. It’s confident, a little wistful, and often loud in all the right places.

Pre-order Violins by Blondshell HERE