Helen - Linda's Head LP

The “Linda’s Head” LP by Helen is being released on Kranky and marks the first new album in over a decade from the Pacific Northwest trio of Liz Harris (guitar, vocals), Scott Simmons (bass), and Jed Bindeman (drums). On this LP, the band picks up the atmosphere of its predecessor “The Original Faces” (2015), but adopts a denser yet more open sonic approach.

The record operates in the space between bedroom dream pop and shoegaze: songs unfold as twilight compositions in which melody, melancholy, and an undercurrent of tension weave into a shadowy whole. Arrangements and vocals rely on layered textures that blur edges and leave room for resonance. The tracks remain both yearning and weather-beaten, their dynamics arising from subtle contrasts.

The title “Linda’s Head” reads as a fractured image-metaphor—head in the clouds, farewell, or an imaginary headland—and is mirrored in lyrics about waves, storms, and escape. These motifs run as undercurrents through the songs and lend the tracks a blend of urgency and beauty. On Kranky, Helen presents the mature interplay of longtime companions, whose warmth and liberating intimacy form the core of the release.