Chelsea Wolfe

The Profile

Chelsea Wolfe is an American singer-songwriter from Sacramento known for fusing gothic folk with doom, darkwave, and industrial elements. Since her 2010 debut, she has earned acclaim for haunting vocals, cinematic arrangements, and intense live performances.

California roots inform her songwriting; long-time collaborator Ben Chisholm features across albums and live shows; Hiss Spun was produced by Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studios with guests Troy Van Leeuwen and Aaron Turner; drummer Jess Gowrie rejoined for the Hiss Spun era; live lineups have included Aurielle Zeitler (Ghost Marrow) and Dylan Fujioka; the track The Culling incorporates field recordings and a Whitman reading.

DeBaser’s reviewers praise Chelsea Wolfe’s evolution from lo‑fi shadows to doom-weighted grandeur and back to haunted folk. Abyss and Hiss Spun are lauded for heaviness and atmosphere, while Birth of Violence is hailed as a stripped, gothic-folk return. Pain Is Beauty gets singled out for its nocturnal, cinematic arc. Early Apocalypsis and The Grime and the Glow show the roots; the live set confirms her hypnotic pull.