SPELLLING

Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep black star-studded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel, the third full-length by the Bay Area artist SPELLLING (Chrystia Cabral), revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life.  read more…

Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep black star-studded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel, the third full-length by the Bay Area artist SPELLLING (Chrystia Cabral), revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life. 

Venturing to push the boundaries of her primarily synth-based work, SPELLLING took on the ambitious task of orchestrating and self-producing an album that features an ensemble of 31 collaborating musicians. The Turning Wheel incorporates a vast range of rich acoustic sounds that cast SPELLLING’s work into vibrant new dimensions. The double LP is split into two halves — “Above” and “Below.” Lush string quartet shimmer combines with haunting banjo and wandering bassoon leads, as the album progresses from the more jubilant, warm, and dreamy mood of the “Above” tracks to the more chilling and gothic tone of the “Below” tracks. This progression is anchored by SPELLLING’s familiar bewitching vocal style that emphasizes the theatrical and folkloric heart of her songwriting. 

The release of The Turning Wheel was delayed by almost a year from its intended release date in September 2020 but the forced pause ended up serving as a blessing in disguise. Navigating the chaos of recording and producing the remaining instrumentalists – either remotely or through rigid socially distanced studio sessions – was immensely difficult, however the delays ultimately opened up the opportunity for SPELLLING to dedicate more attention to her lyrics. The Turning Wheel demonstrates a distinct evolution of lyrical style, from the more incantatory and abbreviated approach of her previous work to a more expansive, narrative production.


The Turning Wheel is a manifestation of this considerable effort, time, and collaborative energy and will surely become a classic for its elegance. And while the artist’s eclectic influences, from soul to psych to pop to noise, remain present, something entirely new has also been born in the cosmic soup of this massive undertaking: a grand and genreless adventure. One that allows the artist’s authenticity to shine and also marks her as a conduit for something with a magic of its own.

SPELLLING’s previous bodies of work have earned her critical acclaim. Her 2017 debut Pantheon of Me was Bandcamp’s #4 Album of the Year and they raved: “Cabral has it, from her careful sense of composition to her charismatic presence to her ability to communicate with her music straight through to the listener’s heart.” Her first release on Sacred Bones, the Hard to Please single, was named a Best Track by The Guardian, who said the song was “like Solange looking in a haunted mirror.” Her second full length Mazy Fly saw great support from the likes of Pitchfork (“it’s the sound of an artist’s vision sharpening, pointing outward.”), Stereogum (“It’s a gorgeous and evocative and provocative record, and it points to a future where Cabral could pretty much do anything.”), Paste (“too appealing to resist”) and once again found its place in The Best Albums of 2019 at Bandcamp.

News

• SASHA GEFFEN’S BEST MUSIC OF 2021 - The Turning Wheel Dec 1, 2021
• NPR Music's 50 Best Albums of 2021 - The Turning Wheel Dec 1, 2021
• The 8 Best Music Videos of June 2021 Jul 1, 2021
• SPELLLING is a Conduit of the Divine on Orchestral Pop Concept LP The Turning Wheel Jun 29, 2021
• SPELLLING The Turning Wheel Jun 28, 2021
• 9 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Tyler, the Creator, Faye Webster, Lucy Dacus, SPELLLING, and More Jun 25, 2021
• The 11 projects you should stream now - SPELLLING Jun 25, 2021
• Album of the Day: SPELLLING, “The Turning Wheel” Jun 25, 2021
• How Dracula, Tarot Cards, and Drinking in the Shower Inspired SPELLLING’s New Album Jun 25, 2021
• SPELLLING Jun 21, 2021
• THE 33 BEST ALBUMS OF 2021 SO FAR: SPELLLING - THE TURNING WHEEL Jun 20, 2021
• Album of the Week: SPELLLING – THE TURNING WHEEL Jun 20, 2021
• The 51 Most Anticipated Albums of Summer 2021 Jun 9, 2021
• The 50 Best Albums Of 2021 So Far Jun 8, 2021
• SPELLLING – “Turning Wheel” Jun 2, 2021
• SPELLLING – “Boys At School” May 11, 2021
• SPELLLING announces her third album, The Turning Wheel May 11, 2021
• SPELLLING Shares New Song “Boys At School” The Turning Wheel Due Out June 25 on Sacred Bones May 11, 2021
• 'Little Deer' by SPELLLING Review Apr 16, 2021
• 10 Best Songs of the Week: SPELLLING, Lucy Dacus, Ora the Molecule, Twin Shadow, and More Apr 16, 2021
• SPELLLING Returns with New Album 'The Turning Wheel' Apr 14, 2021
• Fader Features New SPELLLING Track, "Little Deer" Apr 14, 2021
• Pitchfork Features SPELLLING's New Single 'Little Deer' Apr 14, 2021
• Our Take: SPELLLING’S ‘Mazy Fly' Will Make You Believe In Magic Mar 4, 2019
• SPELLLING Mazy Fly Review Feb 22, 2019

Tour Dates

Date	Venue	Location	With	Tickets
Sat 5/28/2022	Knockdown Center	Queens, New York
Thu 6/2/2022	Heartland Festival	Kværndrup, Denmark
Mon 6/6/2022	Primavera Sound	Barcelona, Spain
Sat 6/11/2022	Maifeld Derby	Mannheim, Germany
Sun 6/12/2022	Best Kept Secret Festival	Hilvarenbeek, NL
Fri 7/15/2022	Pitchfork Festival	Chicago, Illinois
Sun 7/17/2022	Stern Grove Festival	San Francisco, California	Cat Power
Sun 7/24/2022	Higher Ground Festival	London, United Kingdom
Fri 8/5/2022	Outside Lands Festival	San Francisco, California
Fri 8/26/2022	THING Festival	Port Townsend, Washington
Sun 8/28/2022	This Ain't No Picnic	Pasadena, California