In the past few years, Sabrina Teitelbaum AKA Blondshell has transformed into a songwriter without fear. The hook-filled songs on her self-titled debut are clear-eyed statements of and about digging your way towards confidence, self-possession, and relief. All of this is powered by brilliant, crystalline melodies, and gigantic choruses that are wrapped with shredding guitars. Teitelbaum grew up in a classic rock-loving household. During an era of sleek teen pop, her most formative childhood obsession was the Rolling Stones. In high school, she discovered new indie-rock bands by scouring NYC venues with her fake ID in hand-these shows instilled in her a love for lyrics with specificity and intensity. When Teitelbaum moved to Los Angeles for music school in 2015, she began forging a different path. She dropped out after two years, but before she did she studied music theory and the art of harmonies. She then found herself writing songs inside the world of pop studio sessions. The biggest gift the pop machine gave her was the clarity that she didn't really belong there. At the start of the pandemic, she gave herself permission to write without expectation. Subtracting self-consciousness became a catalyst for the songs of Blondshell the album. Blondshell the band had become the vehicle for a woman who knows where her wounds are and instead of looking away, she studies them, cleans them, and sews them back up.