Jehnny Beth - You Heartbreaker, You

Jehnny Beth has always operated on the fringes. A shape-shifting auteur, her work is as likely to claw at your chest as it is to leave you frozen in the dark. On 'You Heartbreaker, You', her second solo album, she doubles down on the noirish intensity. This is a record that feels like it belongs to people who smoke indoors, drink only black coffee and consider eye contact a form of violence.

Opener 'Broken Rib' sets the tone: seductive and simmering with menace. It’s the kind of track that struts rather than walks, Beth twisting herself around lines like barbed wire. There’s a glint of St. Vincent at her most dangerous, but this is more primal. Less theatre, more threat.

'Stop Me Now' is a snarling standout, delivering the gloriously self-serving line “I’m going to please myself today” like a black-hearted mantra. 'High Resolution Sadness' pushes the drama to breaking point, all throbbing tension and guttural release. 'Out Of My Reach' brings some welcome dynamism to the midsection. It’s a rare moment where the record moves, rather than smoulders.

Beth’s presence is magnetic throughout. 'Obsession' is stripped to its bones, every syllable delivered with stalker-like precision. The closing one-two punch of 'High Resolution Sadness' and 'I See Your Pain' reminds you exactly what she’s capable of when she lets the walls collapse and the guitars take over.

This isn’t a record trying to win you over. It knows what it is: uncompromising and allergic to anything resembling warmth. But for those who like their music dressed in black and just a bit possessed, 'You Heartbreaker, You' makes for an exquisite downer.