Chelsea Wolfe has announced her ninth studio album, ‘The Dark’, speaking to NME about the personal upheaval that shaped it, including going through sobriety and learning to stop what she calls “self-abandoning”. The Californian artist, known for blending folk, rock and doom metal, said the record marks a shift towards a sparser, more delicate alt-rock sound after the industrial leanings of her 2024 album ‘She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She’.

The album was launched with lead single ‘Cold’ and produced alongside Jennifer Decilveo, who has previously written with Hozier and Miley Cyrus, and Wolfe’s longtime collaborator Ben Chisholm. Wolfe said Decilveo helped her define the record’s direction, encouraging a return to instruments such as acoustic guitar and piano as a starting point for songs. Earlier teaser tracks ‘The Dark’ and ‘Death Is Not The End’ have already showcased this shift, and Wolfe also discussed a guest contribution from a member of Queens Of The Stone Age on the track ‘Swallower’.