
Blondshell has returned with a new single, ‘23’s A Baby’, the latest preview from her forthcoming second album If You Asked For A Picture, due 2nd May via Partisan Records.
The track finds the Los Angeles-based songwriter picking at the knot of modern adulthood, or the absence of it. “The song is partially about being in your twenties and feeling like you’re supposed to know everything (your parents even had kids around that age!) yet you’re truly in the weeds trying to figure out who you are,” she says.
Both playful and melancholic, the track is bolstered by a lyrical tone that borrows from nursery rhymes, gently offsetting its heavier themes of arrested development and generational anxiety. “It’s a heavy subject so it was important to have fun when we made it,” she adds.
The video, directed by Yazz Jansen, leans into that lightness, parodying internet tropes with a wink to the “DILFs of Disneyland” Instagram account. That sense of self-awareness has become something of a signature for Blondshell, whose 2023 self-titled debut won widespread acclaim for its mix of dry wit, fuzzy guitars, and emotional lyricism.
With If You Asked For A Picture, Blondshell appears to be stepping into sharper focus. ‘23’s A Baby’ follows the release of previous single ‘Docket’, and offers another glimpse into an album that looks set to widen her range without losing the cutting honesty that made her debut land.
Editors’ Picks
- The Crux review | Joe Keery balances reflection and roleplay on third Djo album
Joe Keery leans into limbo with The Crux, a psychedelic and reflective album that blurs fiction and self, nostalgia and futurism. - R.E.M., The Smiths, Nirvana – who might reunite next?
If Oasis is possible, is anyone off the table? Here are the reunions we’d love to see next. - ★★★★☆ Glory review | Perfume Genius tones down the distortion, turns up the intimacy
The new Perfume Genius album shows restraint, intimacy, and moments of heart-wrenching clarity. - Why, 20 years later, Dig! is still the ultimate music doc
As Dig! returns to cinemas, we revisit the chaos, creativity and collapse at the heart of a cult classic. - ★★★★☆ Till The Morning by Brian D’Addario review | A tender, baroque-folk detour from one half of The Lemon Twigs
Brian D’Addario of The Lemon Twigs steps out solo with Till The Morning, a tender, subtly political and beautifully crafted album blending baroque pop, folk and jangly 60s romanticism with moments of emotional gravity. - Overwhelmed? A guide to music’s most daunting discographies
Some bands release albums faster than you can listen to them. Here’s how to navigate the most overwhelming discographies in music history, from Johnny Cash to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
Keep up to date with the best in UK music by following us on Instagram: @whynowworld and on Twitter/X: @whynowworld