Hannah Bon
Growing up watching TV and movies, it’s easy to be fooled into thinking that a true romance has to have a lot of ups and downs. Think of the classic on-again-off-again couple like Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big, or just about any romcom where two people start out hating each other and slowly realize that their feelings are changing. For Sabrina Teitelbaum, however, that depiction didn’t feel true to her reality. “I was feeling kind of confused because I was in the early stages of something new and asking myself, ‘What's a real life relationship supposed to look like?’” the Los Angeles-based musician who makes music under the moniker of Blondshell says over a Zoom call in February. “What if it’s just fine because we're just getting to know each other. Does that mean that it's still valuable?”
“Two Times,” the prettiest and swoon-worthy song on Blondshell’s upcoming album If You Asked For A Picture, effectively trashes the on-screen vision of love and presents a more down-to-earth depiction in its place: one where emotions aren’t at their extremes and instead just, well balanced. Out today, it’s part of Teitelbaum’s mission to write more songs about the grey of life.
Since 2022, the singer has been lauded for her abrasive rock love songs that acted as excoriated kiss offs to no-good men and a hard-living lifestyle. With “Two Times” she goes to the opposite side and picks the idea of being comfortable with the peace of something good and, in turn, asking yourself if you’re mature enough for a solid relationship. Teitelbaum asks questions like “How bad does it have to hurt to count?” and looks for flaws in a happy situation. A pain lurks beneath the joy, because these are questions that shouldn’t necessarily need asking.
Speaking to The FADER about If You Asked For A Picture, which drops on May 2, Teitelbaum says she wanted it to be a more fleshed out and truthful depiction of life, filling it with songs that contain multiple feelings at once — and often conflicting ones at that. Read on for her take on “Two Times,” her writing habits, and how she doesn’t know how to stop oversharing.
The FADER: “Two Times” is a really nuanced love song. What were you hoping to capture when you wrote it?
Blondshell: I was thinking about the pictures of relationships that I was given growing up watching TV and movies. Things with these couples were either really tumultuous, painful, ugly situations, or the total opposite, where everything is really amazing and perfect. You’re kind of sold this idea that a relationship has to be either of those things for it to be meaningful.
Were there any famous on-screen couples you were thinking about in particular?
I was a big CW Network person. So things like The OC where everything was so dramatic and crazy. That’s what I watched in my formative years and that's the stuff that stuck. I also recently watched He’s Just Not That Into You. I can watch it now and laugh but watching back then and seeing all these rules for how relationships should be definitely leaves a mark.
I can hear echoes of The Cranberries in the sound of the song. Was that band a big influence on you growing up?
I love The Cranberries. I'm always really influenced by [Dolores O'Riordan’s] voice and bands like The Sundays, too. Listening to those songs had such a big impact on me my whole life. But I wasn't consciously going in and trying to sound like them. It was more that there are so many moments on this album that are these big rock moments, walls of guitars, that kind of thing, that I wanted this song to feel sparkly and pretty. It’s important to have that contrast.
What if it’s just fine because we’re just getting to know each other. Does that mean that it’s still valuable?”
Does that big rock sound of the album come from having toured extensively and knowing you’ll be playing these songs live, too?
That was totally on my mind during the recording process. But I always write the songs alone, and it's always in my bedroom. So the start of the process is always there being something that I need to talk about that is really weighing on me. Getting something off my chest is always the motivation. How it will sound live comes after, when I’m in the studio.
There’s a line in “Two Times” where you say, “I'm not good at songs when you're around.” Are you a more productive writer when you’re a little down or sad?
I have become okay with writer's block. I'm not an everyday writer. I can’t be one of those people who wakes up and writes for an hour. I just write when I need to. And I do feel like if I'm happy and I'm having a great time, where is the motivation?
Ultimately, I don't like happy songs. I've never written a happy song. I just feel like it's not the point. I love to listen to songs that make you want to dance but it’s not the reason that I love music. I'm not a happy music person and I don't write that much when I'm feeling great.
So there are no happy songs on the new album?
No. I wish there were because I know you’re supposed to be balanced in that way, but I don't really know any albums that I am obsessed with that have many joyous songs. The happiness comes out in other ways for me. I had so much fun making this album. It’s the most exciting thing in the world to have a song that you've written and bring it to life with other people who do stuff that you can't do. I can hear that joy in the guitar parts.
So where does “Two Times” fit into the broader landscape of the album?
One of the biggest things with the last album was that it felt really black and white to me. That's what I felt like I could chew at the time. This time around I wanted to experiment with different shades. “Two Times” shows a more feminine side than I had felt comfortable sharing in the past, and I think that's an important role to play on this album.
In the past I had all these super hard masculine references and was keen for people to know that my music is tough. But with “Two Times,” and a few other songs on the album, I was feeling much softer and pretty and lush. It was important for that to be referenced on the album, too.
The title of the new album comes from a poem by Mary Oliver where she talks about what it’s important to share and also keep secret. As someone who has written very openly in the past, where do you draw the line?
I have never written for other people. I would feel really blocked if I was trying to write lyrics and also control what I felt comfortable sharing [with others]. Every time I write a song, it's just for me in the moment. And then you record it and figure out how to share it with people. I write because it’s something I wouldn't want to talk about in any other capacity than in that song. It’s almost impossible for me to be more private in my lyrics, because they just wouldn’t come any other way.
I really related to that poem because she’s talking about how there is never really a way to show an entire portrait of your life. You'll never be able to communicate with someone every single aspect and nuance of what you think and feel and who you are. An album is just a snapshot of who you are. I’m sort of saying that I'm not gonna keep trying to show somebody the totality of me as a person, I can just show a little piece, and that's okay.
And what about the relationship you wrote “Two Times” about? Are you able to say whether you’re still together?
[Laughs]. Sorry. No. I say way too much in the songs already.
