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Blondshell<\/a> has always weaved violence throughout her searing alt-rock<\/a>. Her \u201990s-inspired breakout single \u2018Olympus\u2019 started with the head-over-heels promise that Sabrina Teitelbaum would \u201cstill kill\u201d<\/i> for a toxic partner, while her self-titled debut album<\/a> wrestled with daydream vengeance and potent self-destruction over explosive guitar breakdowns. Her second LP, 2025\u2019s \u2018If You Asked For A Picture\u2019<\/a>, was prettier but no less vicious as she reflected with unapologetic directness on generational anguish, body image struggles and coming-of-age uncertainty.<\/p>\n Coming less than 18 months later, the former NME<\/em> Cover star<\/a>\u2018s third album \u2018Violins\u2019 is as playful as it is savage. The album title is an accidental bit of wordplay (violins and violence), while the title track showcases acts of kindness turned into something darker. Instead of a reassuring hand on a shoulder, it\u2019s \u201ca pat on the ass\u201d<\/i>. Talk of gradual healing is dismissed as boring (\u201cIt\u2019s like watching paint\u201d<\/i>) and there\u2019s no biting back, as Teitelbaum tries to rise above it. \u201cI hope heads don\u2019t roll, they rest lightly on your shoulder\u201d<\/i>, she repeats like a mantra between celebratory guitar solos. It sets a course for \u2018Violins\u2019, an album which defiantly strikes a balance between optimistic beauty and harsh, jagged truths. Throughout, Blondshell fights to stay tender in a world that isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n The cheery \u2018Lucky\u2019 flickers between moments of calm on tour and the unavoidable horrors of the news cycle, while the slow-burning \u2018Knotted\u2019 showcases complicated, messy love in all its horrible glory. There\u2019s hard-earned joy here, too. \u2018Two-Fried\u2019 (co-written with fellow indie darling Samia) sees Teitelbaum flirt with self-love; on the dreamy \u2018Sea Legs\u2019, she rattles through a list of her favourite things like an indie<\/a> rock The Sound Of Music<\/i>.<\/p>\n