Blondshell’s Sabrina Teitelbaum sings about the intricacies of being human in her new album If You Asked For A Picture.
Sabrina Teitelbaum aka Blondshell’s second album, If You Asked For A Picture, takes its title from a line in “Dogfish,” a 1986 poem by Mary Oliver. If You Asked For A Picture was produced and recorded by Yves Rothman and written by Sabrina Teitelbaum with Sam Stewart, Yves Rothman, and Casey Smith on their respective tracks. On this album, Teitelbaum adds some refreshing nuance to her lyrics by telling an autobiographical story that asks more questions, instead of being more black-and-white in its lyrics like her first, self-titled record.
The first track is called “Thumbtack.” The track starts with an acoustic guitar that continues throughout the song with light percussion. Though the track’s main focus is self-reflection amidst a tense, potentially anxiety-inducing relationship, the track also broaches Teitelbaum’s lifelong struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the context of the relationship.
Track five is called “Two Times.” This track is about coming back to a relationship once it has ended. The lyric “I’ll come back if you put me down two times,” attests to this. “You try hard to make me yours, but once you get me, I get bored,” Teitelbaum passionately sings. Her being bored in the relationship could be why the relationship originally ended, but she then decides to go back to her partner and their relationship.
The eighth track on If You Asked For A Picture is called “Change.” The track begins with a tranquil instrumental that transforms into a kind of soft rock sound. The first lyrics of this track are “I just played the rodeo, I think I need to change,” and the track ends with the lyrics “I’m sorry for changing.” The stark difference between the beginning and ending lyrics of this track shows the progression of the story being told. To go from “I think I need to change” to “I’m sorry for changing” tells listeners that Teitelbaum may have experienced some backlash for changing and evolving as a person, possibly losing people in her life in the process.
The last track is called “Model Rockets.” With its light instrumental, “Model Rockets” ends the album on a calm note sonically. In this track, Teitelbaum expresses confusion about her wants and desires with the lyrics “I don’t know what I want anymore.” She also mentions her queer identity with the lyrics “When I’m with a man, I’m only gay, when I’m with a girl I’ve been lying, attention buying.” This lyric showcases a common sentiment many people who are attracted to more than one gender experience. As the track ends and the soothing instrumental fades, listeners are left in silence.
From relationships, OCD, and the unwanted consequences of changing and growing, If You Asked For A Picture tells a story about the complexities of being human. Blondshell’s second album, If You Asked For A Picture, is out May 2 and her 2025 tour, If You Asked For A Tour, starts May 28.
