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.
