Review: Kiki Rockwell — Plagued By Visions

Kiki Rockwell
Plagued By Visions
Self-Released
Street: 09.23.2026
Kiki Rockwell = Sofia Isella + Paris Paloma + The Witcher III: Wild Hunt soundtrack

Kiki Rockwell has returned to bless us once again with atmospheric, witchy music just in time for the eldritch air of October. Plagued By Visions is Rockwell’s third full-length record of folkloric, avant-garde pop — ancient and electric, multilingual and fiery. She pulls up the evergreen roots of folklore and nurtures them with her otherworldly voice, coaxing feminist ferocity from the thorns. If you’re in need of such spells, gather round and listen.

Rockwell has a tradition of opening releases with an old-style, chant-like round. In “Fire’s Burning (Intro),” voices once again beckoned me down a torch-lit path into another world, where I was met with “A Dying Knight’s Lament.” Dark, low strings scrape over a rousing electronic beat, creating a melancholy atmosphere. Medieval-style major chords intersperse the minor lament as the dying knight repeatedly calls, “Mother, is that you?” The outro is in German, the synth leading us into silence.

“Lamb Eats Wolf” reminded me just how high-quality and creative Rockwell’s production is as she harmonizes with herself over a pattering beat (it must be noted that she produces all of this magic in her home studio). A heavy Nordic fiddle leads into a yipping dance segment full of raucous voices and drums. When the song ended with a Latin chorus, I had to applaud Rockwell for mixing all of this into a single song. That’s not even considering the lyrics — if I had 16 pages, I would write an academic paper about the whole album. But I don’t have 16 pages, so you’ll just have to listen for yourself.

The organ in “The Hunger” made me immediately gasp. This song has a hymn-like nature, with more gorgeous, low strings and gothic vibes accompanying themes of eating disorders. A similar atmosphere appears later in “Vampyr,” which opens with clarion piano and rich violin, later joined by electronic instruments and more lyrics in German. In “Demon Hunter,” the cello knocked me over with its beauty. The instrumentation of Plagued By Visions is so masterful I can taste it.

Rockwell made her name a few years ago with “Burn Your Village,” an anthem of feminine rage. “Circle Of Girls” is another classic Rockwell anthem, this time one of sorrow and solidarity. Whispers and haunting, discordant, overlapping vocals open the song before lyrics evoke a circle of women supporting each other in mourning and calling for action: “Woman, don’t weep / Woman don’t weep / For you have us / For you have us / A circle of girls / A circle of trust.” I have the feeling that most of us are in need of this song at the moment.

“Selkie” latched into my mind after only one listen. Uilleann bagpipes and a cascading melody accompany a conversation between a selkie and her captor/husband: “Selkie, selkie, come to me / I would like to own the sea / Human, human, you’re insane / We don’t even own our names.” Rockwell honors the language from which the lore of the seal folk comes with the repeating line, “Chum mi e bho na fir sa chùil,” (my rough translation: “I kept it away from the men, in the niche”).

You don’t have to look under the rug to see the symbolism that connects the capture of the selkie with both the patriarchy and colonialism — especially given the inclusion of Scottish Gaelic. (Wanna guess why it almost died out and is spoken by so few people?) As a Gaelic learner myself, I love seeing new art being made in the language and was gloriously happy to hear it here. It’s not surface-level decoration, either; Rockwell shared on her Instagram that she’s been learning Gaelic since 2024. It appears again in “Hares On The Mountain,” and I’m excited for future songs in Gaelic as Rockwell continues her learning.

Turn up the volume on “I’m Not Flirting I’m Just Hot And Speaking” and scream along. Rockwell chants over metal guitar and drums — and also Baroque strings. This is a stand-your-ground shout of both rage and strength. “I’m not flirting, I’m just hot and speaking / Thank the gods that my youth is fleeting / You heard me, it ain’t worth repeating / I won’t be beaten.” Turning into a quieter hiss of rage, “A Hex For My Ex” is exactly what the title says as Rockwell sings a long, eloquent, menacing curse over a low drone and drum.

Concluding the album, “Faery Queen” is a promise of revelry and joy, repeating “I have danced for a hundred years / I will dance for a hundred more.” Imagine a modern dance track for the queen of faerie with a splash of Klezmer clarinet — this is it. After an album full of songs that dive into the pain and sorrow and fear and anger that comes from existing in this world in a body seen as prey, “Faery Queen” is a reminder that in spite of all of this, we will keep dancing and exulting as we have since the beginning of time.

I will be blasting Plagued By Visions all October long and beyond. —Rebekah Bowman

Read more reviews from SLUG here:
Review: Phoebe Bridgers — Lost Weekend – SLUG Magazine
How Mu Zhengyang Made All Wishes Come True! – SLUG Magazine

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