As SPELLLING, Chrystia “Tia” Cabral writes and constructs elegant experimental pop songs that escort us through transition with grace. Whether it’s the changing times or mourning someone we love, her music is fearless in its scope. She wrote, performed, and produced her first record, Pantheon of Me, in the fall of 2017. On 2019’s Mazy Fly, she introduced drama and charisma to her interdimensional sound. But it is most recently, on 2021’s The Turning Wheel, where her haunting interpretations of nature and its endless influences are most striking. On the impeccable record, Cabral elevates her style into an orchestrated odyssey, which spans nearly an hour with shimmering synth and more than 30 collaborators. The album is narratively beautiful, stringing along tales of deer in the woods, memories of childhood bullying, and a feast of other mystical and political themes. The backdrop is expertly composed orchestral pop. Aside from the intricate composition of these songs, Cabral’s voice is incredible in its power and timbre. The operatic inflection of the music follows her distinct range from its soaring, trembling highs to breathing, raspy valleys. Along the way, her music weaves folktales, myths, and magic in shiny brilliance. The music of SPELLLING goes beyond words and into a heightened sensory experience akin to the familiar nostalgia of a changing season. SPELLLING play at 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Songbyrd in Northeast. songbyrddc.com. $16–$18.
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