Chelsea Wolfe, in a new conversation with Guitar World, discussed how she incorporates elements of witchcraft and other unconventional spiritual practices into her songwriting process for her latest metal creations.
The singer has long been inspired by a variety of unique spiritual practices, such as intense meditation, tracking moon cycles, tarot card readings, and various occult rituals, as he explained:
“I’m not a Wiccan, but I do practice elements of witchcraft, which is essentially ritualizing the way you live and the way you approach things. It’s all very personal stuff to me, and it’s not about predicting the future or anything. But if I get stuck on a song, I’ll ask the tarot cards for guidance or to help me figure out what the song wants to be about.”
Unconventional Techniques For Unique Outcomes
Her seventh studio album, ‘She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She,’ was released on February 9, 2024. Wolfe believes that struggling musically can lead to unexpected breakthroughs. She noted:
“Pain and struggle on a musical level is never a bad thing because it usually leads to some sort of tension that breaks into something unexpected that maybe no one involved had previously thought of. For us, that resulted in a really unique record.”
This album, in particular, shows a distinct sound, achieved in part through her collaboration with Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. Sitek’s influence helped transition Wolfe’s raw, ethereal demos into haunting, richly textured soundscapes, blending traditional instrumentation with electronic elements.
A Journey Through Sound
The journey to the record began in 2019, with Wolfe composing on her 1977 Gibson ES-335. The pandemic saw Wolfe and her band adapting to remote collaboration, during which she explored and incorporated additional creative techniques to enhance the atmospheric quality of her music.
The musician’s eclectic influences for the album include tracks from Depeche Mode, the Smashing Pumpkins, Björk, Madonna, Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack, Low, Radiohead, TV on the Radio, and Lhasa de Sela, as she revealed to Alternative Press in early February.
