Los Angeles-based musician Sabrina Mae Teitlbaum, better known as Blondshell, writes indie rock for our overstimulated, overly connected, uncertain times. We sat down with her on a very hot afternoon after her set at this year’s Hinterland festival, where we discussed her first time performing in Iowa, her love of the Talking Heads, and heard some humorous stories of her experience touring the globe.
Blondshell came to be during the pandemic, when Teitlbaum’s work with the pop-focused project BAUM was put on forced pause. Her decision to pursue sobriety after issues with drugs and alcohol also shaped the creation of the project and the debut album.
Her self-titled album Blondshell was released in early 2023 to positive reviews. The songs on the album hint at themes of toxic relationships, life during a pandemic, mental illness, social anxiety and the struggles of sobriety.
Since the release of the record, Blondshell has been on a whirlwind of tours, but she did find time to record her take on the Talking Heads song “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” (off their 1978 classic album More Songs About Buildings and Food) for the 2024 recording Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute Album. Artists involved in the project honoring the Talking Heads included The National, Paramore and Miley Cyrus.
“I love Stop Making Sense. So, I got to be part of the soundtrack… or it wasn’t a soundtrack. It was basically a tribute album to Stop Making Sense. I got assigned that song and I love that song [“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel”]. It wasn’t like I chose it, but I really love that song, and I sort of fell in love with it in a way that I hadn’t before, because I just had to really learn it and think about what it meant to me so I could sing it in a meaningful way.”
Life on the road can be challenging for musicians, especially in foreign countries, where simple things like getting food and finding the restroom can turn into bizarre adventures. Blondshell shared a funny anecdote that happened at this year’s Glastonbury festival.
“I went to the production office, and I was like – ‘I’m wondering if you guys have any toilet paper?’ and the person there was like ‘Wow, they must really spoil you at festivals in the states. You must really be playing some posh festivals to think that we would have toilet paper.’”
“And I was like, oh my god what am I going to do? But then she gave me some napkins… so it’s ok.”
Since our interview, Blondshell has released a new single, “What’s Fair,” which is in preview of a new album coming soon. We talked briefly at the time about what she had planned regarding upcoming music.
“I’ve been writing since maybe like right after the debut album came out. So, I’ve been in the process of making this follow-up album for the last couple of months and I’m really excited about it.”
If the songs on the upcoming record are in the same vein as “What’s Fair,” its clear Blondshell is not slowing down. She still writes with ferocity but is adding pop elements to the music. Stay tuned, as the future may just hold a big breakthrough moment for this artist you should know.
