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Apr 15, 2021 By Joey Arnone Photography by Adora Wilson

SPELLLING (aka Chrystia Cabral) has announced the release of her third studio album, The Turning Wheel, due for release on June 25 via Sacred Bones after nearly a year of delays. Cabral has also shared the album’s first track and lead single “Little Deer.” Check it out below, along with the album’s tracklist and cover art, below.

The Turning Wheel is described in a press release as revolving around “themes of human unity, the future, divine love, and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life.” The album, orchestrated and self-produced by Cabral, features an ensemble of 31 collaborating musicians. Lead single “Little Deer” is inspired by the Frida Kahlo painting Wounded Deer.

Cabral elaborates on her new song in a press release: “‘Little Deer’ is definitely a thesis track. I feel that way because it not only showcases the greatest range of instrumentation that is featured on the album, but also because it accomplishes this strong impression of theater that I was striving for with the album as a whole. I’m especially proud of the lyrics. The challenge with the lyric writing was being able to speak to really large concepts like karma, reincarnation and the cycle of life without making the song sound burdened. I wanted the lyrics to match the grandeur of the instrumentation but still be easy to sing along to. I figured out a way to build the lyrics using a lot of abstract language that is still singable but odd in a way that I hope makes it memorable.”

Cabral’s most recent album, Mazy Fly, came out in 2019 on Sacred Bones.

Check out our My Favorite Album interview with Cabral.

The Turning Wheel Tracklist:

1. Little Deer
2. Always
3. Turning Wheel
4. The Future
5. Awaken
6. Emperor with an Egg
7. Boys at School
8. Legacy
9. Queen of Wands
10. Magic Act
11. Revolution
12. Sweet Talk

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