Chelsea Wolfe has unveiled her ninth studio album, The Dark, alongside its lead single Cold, marking the next chapter for one of contemporary music’s most distinctive artists as she continues to expand her catalogue across gothic rock, folk, industrial and heavy music.
by Paul Cashmere
Chelsea Wolfe will release her ninth studio album The Dark on August 21 through Loma Vista Recordings, with CD and vinyl editions scheduled to follow on September 18. The announcement coincides with the release of the album’s opening track and lead single, Cold, together with an accompanying music video, introducing a record that follows her acclaimed 2024 album She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She.
The new album represents another evolution for the California songwriter, whose work has consistently crossed the boundaries between gothic rock, doom metal, folk, industrial and electronic music. According to the album’s accompanying notes, The Dark explores themes of mystery, transformation and resilience, drawing on the image of entering the woods at their darkest point and confronting fear as a means of finding strength.
Wolfe wrote the material with new songwriting collaborator Jennifer Decilveo while continuing her long creative partnership with multi-instrumentalist Ben Chisholm. The pair deliberately stripped back the dense production that has characterised some of Wolfe’s recent recordings, placing greater emphasis on melody, lyrics and vocal performance.
The album also features an extensive list of guest musicians drawn from across alternative and heavy music. Contributors include Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails, Matt Chamberlain of Pearl Jam, Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens Of The Stone Age, Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint and producer and musician Justin Meldal-Johnsen, whose credits include Nine Inch Nails and St Vincent.
The release follows an active period for Wolfe. In recent weeks she introduced the double single The Dark and Death Is Not The End, announced a new world tour covering North America and Europe, and revealed a collaboration with fragrance company Heretic on a collection of perfumes titled GHOSTS. Earlier this year she also issued the collaborative single MEAN with industrial rock band Health.
Since emerging with The Grime and the Glow in 2010 and Apokalypsis in 2011, Wolfe has established herself as one of the most individual voices in contemporary alternative music. Her catalogue has continually shifted between intimate acoustic recordings and expansive, heavily textured releases including Pain Is Beauty, Abyss, Hiss Spun and Birth of Violence.
Her music has also extended beyond her solo recordings. Wolfe collaborated with Converge on the 2021 album Bloodmoon: I, recorded the score for A24’s horror film X with composer Tyler Bates, and has appeared alongside artists including Chino Moreno of Deftones, Xiu Xiu, Russian Circles, Deafheaven and Myrkur.
The release of She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She in 2024 marked Wolfe’s first full-length album for Loma Vista Recordings following her departure from Sargent House. The record was supported by international touring and companion remix and acoustic releases, reinforcing her reputation for continually reinterpreting her own work.
Wolfe’s career has also been defined by a willingness to experiment without becoming tied to a single musical identity. Across nearly two decades she has incorporated elements of folk, industrial music, dark ambient, electronic production and metal while maintaining a recognisable songwriting voice built around atmosphere and emotional intensity.
Interest in the new album has already proven strong. Last month Wolfe quietly launched a mystery pre-order through her mailing list, with the limited release selling out in less than 30 minutes before fans knew exactly what they had purchased. Details of that exclusive edition are expected to be revealed later this year.
With The Dark, Wolfe adds another chapter to a catalogue that has consistently evolved while maintaining its distinctive artistic identity. The release of Cold provides the first indication of the album’s direction ahead of the August digital release, with physical editions following in September as Wolfe prepares to take the new material on the road throughout North America and Europe.
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