‘Storms’: Blondshell breaks down the Fleetwood Mac slow-burn
Sabrina Teitelbaum, previously operating under the alias Blondshell, has been touring extensively since the release of her debut self-titled album in 2023. The success of the record, only reinforced by critical acclaim, saw the ‘Kiss City’ songwriter scheduled across some of the biggest festivals, such as SXSW, Lollapalooza, Mad Cool and Green Man, to name a few.
Named “songwriter without fear” by Rough Trade in a blog that featured Blondshell’s debut as one of its albums of the year, complementing its balance of exciting production, sonic darkness and honest lyricism, further added to the snowballing momentum of praise.
Reflecting on a busy few years during an interview with The Line of Best Fit, the singer-songwriter shed light on touring and her mindset within the mix of a lengthy schedule. She said: “Everything’s heightened on tour. People tell you not to make any major life decisions on tour, which is the best advice I’ve ever gotten about touring.”
That comment was in response to Blondshell being asked to list nine songs which inspired her recent May follow-up, If You Asked for a Picture. One of her picks was Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Storms’ for its slow-burn qualities and Stevie Nicks for purely being Stevie Nicks.
“Don’t break up with anybody when you’re on tour,” she added. “Don’t get married when you’re on tour. I mean, I don’t own a house, but don’t sell your house. Big life decisions? Just don’t make them when you’re on tour. I think it’s because everything’s so raw and so heightened. I found this song when I was in that place, so I just have this connection to it for that reason.”
Blondshell never appears more burnt out than on her song ‘Event of a Fire’, which appears halfway through If You Asked, written while still on tour. A fire at her hotel, which woke her at 04:00 inspired the lyrics of the song, where she confesses with pensive sadness, “Part of me is still getting all my haircuts for someone else”. The deeply emotional track contains multitudes, talking about battling body image issues, growing pains and living with heartache.
Both ‘Storms’ and ‘Event of a Fire’ share similar qualities. Arrangement-wise, the former features gentle piano chords, delicate guitar playing, and subtle percussion. Nick’s vocals are worn-in and airy to match the dream-like nature of the song. Similarly, ‘Event of a Fire’ begins with tenderness but builds cinematically.
What’s more, the chaos and slow-burning nature of ‘Storms’ seems to particularly align with the attitude and emotion of ‘Event of a Fire’. “I also just like this idea that ‘I have always been a storm’. I think it’s really beautiful. It’s a really beautiful song,” Blondshell gushes. This Fleetwood Mac track off their 1979 album Tusk is widely believed to be written about Nicks’ relationship with longtime partner and bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, or Mick Fleetwood, with whom she had an on-off affair during the late 1970s. It’s clear Blondshell and Nicks share a similar emotional rawness that they pour into their art; neither is afraid to confess with unflinching honesty. Both lyricists articulate how it feels for your whole body to ache for someone, long before the heart’s managed to right itself: “Now I’m left open when I’m in love and my heart’s broken when no one hurt it,” Blondshell outlines.
