Across her seven albums, singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe has drawn on everything from brooding doom to whimsical electronica, each release summoning its own particular kind of dark magic. Her unblemished repertoire also includes 2021’s Converge collaboration, Bloodmoon: I, and the score for 2022 slasher movie X (alongside composer Tyler Bates and her long-term musical partner, Ben Chisholm).
To mark the release of Chelsea’s latest album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, we asked her your burning questions.
Will we ever get a Bloodmoon Vol. 2?
Bryan Hughes, Facebook
“Definitely. I’m not positive if I’ll be part of it, but there are plans to make Bloodmoon 2… I just don’t know when.”
If you could have a soundtrack for every time you walked in a room, what song would play?
Joel Hart, email
“Anything by [Texan rock band] True Widow, probably.”
Would you front Type O Negative if the members ever wanted a reunion?
Kevin Pope, Facebook
“As long as they’re cool people! I don’t know anything about them as human beings. Obviously the music is amazing, so that’d be fun. I dressed up as Peter Steele for Halloween once, so I think he and I have a similar ‘giant person’ vibe, because I’m kind of a giant.”
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Matt Turner, email
“A house cat. I’m a hermit and I like to cosy up somewhere and read a book, so that seems kind of house catty.”
What’s your favourite horror film?
Sophie Farhana, email
“I really love Thirst by Park Chan-wook. He’s just such a brilliant director. It’s kind of romantic while also being heavy and dark; it’s focused on the reality of being a vampire. Some of the shots are so beautiful. The cinematography is magical. There’s also all these really subtle, almost ASMR feelings of the way that the characters are filmed.”
Hammer: When you worked on X, did you watch the film while writing the soundtrack?
“To be honest, I don’t like horror that’s typically gory, so it was difficult for me to watch some of those scenes over and over, especially the stabby ones! But it was also a really interesting process to be able to write sounds and vocal parts to a picture, so it was good and bad.”
Do you have any personal rituals before going onstage?
Rotting_Magg, Instagram
“I like to have some alone time, create a little space for myself, light some candles and incense, with tarot cards and meditation - just little simple rituals to bring me back to myself and ready to share the music onstage.”
You’ve previously spoken about how witchcraft is an important part of your life. Do you use the craft to inform any of your performances or songwriting techniques?
charlottesometimes.x, Instagram
“Similarly to my pre-show rituals, I like to create a container, as we say a lot in witchcraft; setting the space, setting a time that you’re going to work on something. Pulling a tarot card for guidance. More and more over the years I’ve very intentionally set space to make it very clear to myself that I’m about to do something special.”
Do you have any favourite witches?
Bella Davies, Facebook
“Anyone who writes a book on witchcraft that I love, like Starhawk. A lot of my friends are witchy writers. People like Pam Grossman, Sarah Faith Gottesdiener – who wrote The Moon Book – and Britten LaRue, who’s an astrologer and mystic. There’s just so many wonderful women – you can go into my Instagram and find some of the wonderful witches that I follow. I think of them as teachers from afar.”
What made you cover Misty Mountains from The Hobbit on TikTok?
Elizabeth Heather, email
“My cat passed away last April, so my way of dealing with it was to rewatch all The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit movies as a kind of comfort thing. There was a particularly foggy misty morning up in the mountains where I live and I just decided to go out there and record that one. I sang it probably 10 times. I was trying to sing it really well, and then all of a sudden I stopped, and decided to make it feel as though I was really in the Tolkien universe, standing in front of a group of people in a tavern or something, as dorky as it sounds, and singing the song with my whole heart. It just so happened that take was when the fog rolled in right behind me, it was kind of perfect.”
Hammer: Would you ever think about doing more renditions from the Tolkien universe?
“I would definitely cover something else from the Tolkien world as well – there’s so many good songs.”
Donkeys or llamas?
Matt D’Antonio, Facebook
“I love all animals. Both - one of each.”
Love how you’ve started posting fashion-related content. What inspires the way you dress?
Lily Reed, Facebook
“I’m obviously drawn a little bit more to the fantastical realm… my fashion sense has the tiniest hint of cosplayer. Some days I feel like dressing like a hobbit or other days like a wizard.”
If you could be reincarnated, what would you choose to become?
Andy Toll, email
“I always think about how wonderfully freeing it must feel to be a dancer or a painter. I think something that’s maybe more physical. Because I’m a singer, and I enjoy slow movement and things like yoga and stuff, but I’ve never been super-athletic. I think it would feel really good to be someone who has that in their body. I think painting is something that I will do more of in this lifetime.”
Is there anything in particular that inspires the very dark and mystical quality to your music videos?
Dave Bolan, email
“Most of the imagery of this album, and the art surrounding it, has been hugely inspired by an 80s animated film called Angel’s Egg. It’s this sort of mysterious, post-apocalyptic world, and there’s this girl who’s protecting a giant egg. You don’t really know what’s inside the egg, but you can tell that whatever it is, it’s important and it holds a lot of hope for the future. The egg became a strong symbol for me as someone who was making a lot of changes in my life and stepping away from the old and into the new.”
Hammer: How so?
“I felt like I was holding this egg full of possibilities, and I didn’t know what the future was going to hold – I left my old record label and management company, got sober, and made other changes in my life. The most recent visualiser for [She Reaches Out To… track] Everything Turns Blue is focused inside of the egg, the shadow and light elements.”
What are you watching on TV?
Annie Horton, email
“I just finished Brit Marling’s new show, A Murder At The End Of The World, so now I’m rewatching [her earlier series] The OA. It’s really nice to see it again. I’m such a subtle fan of sci-fi in books, televisionshows and movies, where you’re finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.”
Which season would you be and why?
Dorian Flowers, email
“I’ve always thought of myself as a winter person, and I do love the quiet when it snows and sort of that magic, but I’m finding myself really drawn to spring now.”
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Matthew Bridges, Facebook
“That human beings are created with more patience and kindness.”
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing instead?
Malcolm Davidson, Facebook
“When I was in my early 20s, I worked at a cafe, and I would go in at 4:30am and bake all of the muffins and things for the day. I don’t know if I’m good at baking, but I like the peace and quiet of being up that early, and being the only one there before the world gets started.”
What is your favourite thing about nature?
Jade Sutton, email
“I really like the cyclical elements of it, how you always know that this isn’t forever. I like knowing every year that there’s going to be those cycles, and the cycles of the moon every month, going from old to new and back again. I find such a comfort in that, and if you ever feel lost, you can look to the cycles of nature as a guide to get out of that lostness and find your way again.
She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She is out now via Loma Vista. Chelsea Wolfe is on tour from May 29 - for the full list of dates, visit her official website.
