St. Vincent | All Born Screaming

From her electrifying cover of Big Black's "Kerosene" in 2011 to the raw power of the "Krokodil"/"Grot" split 7", Clark has hinted at the darker, more ferocious side of her guitar work. With "All Born Screaming," this intense, aggressive edge takes center stage in a St. Vincent album for the first time. The record marries the fierce, thrashing sound with the influential essence of Steve Albini's most biting work and the raw, emotional release of Nine Inch Nails. This marks a significant, groundbreaking shift in Clark's songwriting approach, offering an unfiltered glimpse into a tumultuous realm of desire and void, devoid of humor and steeped in a visceral longing for more out of life.

"All Born Screaming" emerges as Clark's debut solo production effort, diverging from her collaborative history to explore the depths of self-reliance in the creative process. Through solitary sessions with modular synths and an unwavering focus on capturing fleeting moments of inspiration, Clark crafts a deeply personal narrative that eschews the trappings of her previous work's '70s nostalgia. Instead, it confronts the complexities of existence with unvarnished honesty and a readiness to disrupt.

Clark's latest project is a stark departure from the conceptual layers of "Daddy's Home," where she sought healing through an embodiment of her father's musical era. "All Born Screaming" cuts closer to the bone, aiming to leave its mark on listeners with its unapologetic confrontation of life's brutalities and beauties. This album isn't just an artistic statement; it's an existential reflection on the dualities of life—its agonies and its ecstasies, articulated through the primal scream with which we all enter the world. In embracing this tumultuous reality, Clark affirms the vibrancy of existence and the transformative power of embracing both the joy and the protest inherent in being alive.