On Chrystia Cabral's fourth album as SPELLLING, "Portrait of My Heart", the Bay Area artist transforms her acclaimed avant-pop project into a mirror. Cabral's lyrics delve into themes of love, intimacy, anxiety, and alienation, trading the allegorical approach of much of her previous work for something pointed 1 directly into her human heart. This thematic directness is mirrored in the album's arrangements, making it the sharpest, most immediate SPELLLING record to date. Cabral has consistently demonstrated SPELLLING's versatility, from the dark minimalism of her early music to the lavishly orchestrated prog-pop of 2021's "The Turning Wheel," and now, to this newly energetic expression of her creative spirit.

The title track, with its propulsive drum groove and anthemic chorus, "I don't belong here," most potently embodies the album's shift toward emotional directness. Once the main melody emerged, Cabral used the song to process her anxiety as a performer, opting for a tighter, more rock-oriented composition. This transformation mirrors the album's broader movement towards energy and immediacy, driven by the core band: Wyatt Overson (guitar), Patrick Shelley (drums), and Giulio Xavier Cetto (bass), whose collaboration uncovers new contours within the SPELLLING sound. While Cabral still writes and demos in isolation, presenting the songs for "Portrait of My Heart" to her bandmates helped her discover their eventual lively, organic forms. This process was also shaped by working with a trio of producers: "The Turning Wheel" mixing engineer Drew Vandenberg, SZA collaborator Rob Bisel, and Yves Tumor producer Psymun.

Key guest contributions further enrich the album. Chaz Bear (Toro y Moi) delivers SPELLLING's first duet on "Mount Analogue," Turnstile guitarist Pat McCrory transforms Cabral's original piano demo for "Alibi" into the crunchy, riff-heavy version featured on the record, while Zulu's Braxton Marcellous lends "Drain" its sludgy weight. These elements aren't merely integrated into the album; they feel intrinsic to its universe.

Ultimately, "Portrait of My Heart" is uniquely Cabral's record. She fearlessly draws back the curtain on aspects of herself previously unrevealed in SPELLLING—her feelings of being an outsider, her overly guarded nature, the way she can recklessly plunge into intimate relationships and then just as quickly cool off. "It's very much an open diary of all those sensations," she states.