Blondshell turns everyday heartache into arena-sized noise on Violins

Working once again with producer Yves Rothman, Violins – her third album as Blondshell – has all the components of what makes Teitelbaum cut through, exploring the personal and emotional complexities of modern relationships, romantic or otherwise, with a strong flavour of the '90s. In her wider listening around the album, Teitelbaum says she felt a particular connection with the music of her childhood – more specifically, the music on her father’s old iPod – and the record is accordingly shot through with legacy rock influences, from staple powerhouse bands to canonical rock ’n’ roll bards. Opener "Violins" initially sounds like a Nirvana deep cut buried in a digital deluxe edition, hinting at the sort of sound Teitelbaum played around with in her DIY years – until the track bursts into life with the kind of crowd-pleasing, arena-sized crescendo that's become such a prominent feature of the Blondshell sound. At other times, Violins recalls the bigger moments from Fontaines D.C.’s Romance, which makes sense given that Blondshell supported the band at their huge Finsbury Park show in 2025. Tracks "Fur Elise" and "Reinstall" both follow that signature musical format and, alongside sev...