Released in 2023, Model/Actriz’s explosive debut Dogsbody was one of the most gripping noise rock albums of the year. But their live set at the 2024 Pitchfork Music Festival was a whole different beast. Front man Cole Haden strutted around in a mini-skirt and high heels, eventually erupting from the stage, weaving through the crowd like a live wire, and unraveling in real time. His raw presence turned vulnerability into something visceral and theatrical. The music just landed harder and became a full-body experience. That performance didn’t deepen my love for Model/Actriz – it detonated it.
On their sophomore album Pirouette, the band has refined their chaotic energy.
While their debut was raw and visceral, this one tightens the screws. It’s more choreographed and deliberate in its cadence and direction. The tension is still there, but now it’s been sharpened with icy precision and brooding atmosphere. By creating something sharper, darker, and more emotionally nuanced, the group’s music echoes the intensity of their live show. Maybe it’s the result of the few extra years spent grinding on the road, or maybe it’s the colder, electronic-tinged production. Either way, this is not a reinvention but a refined evolution.
Haden’s vocals remain at the emotional core of the album, as his presence is more controlled but no less magnetic. His delivery shifts from breathy whispers to anguished howls, always teetering on the edge of collapse. Lyrically, he delves into themes of desire, shame, and transformation, often blurring the line between pain and ecstasy. Tracks like “Cinderella” and “Ring Road” showcase his ability to transform abstract emotional landscapes into something physical and immediate.
What makes Pirouette so compelling is its seamless blend of brutality and beauty.
“Doves” captures this perfectly by bringing equal parts Trent Reznor menace and Brian Wilson dreaminess. The calculated production provides rich layers that give the synths and programmed elements space to shimmer and swell. Even in the album’s most chaotic peaks, you feel a chilling grace in how the band builds tension and then shatters it. No matter how wild things get, the music never feels aimless. That level of control in how the turn the noise into something sculpted and focused is a clear mark of a band leveling up.
Pirouette showcases striking growth for Model/Actriz. They took everything that made their debut so captivating and molded it into something more emotionally potent. They don’t shy away from the volatile energy that originally defined them, but now it’s channeled with intention. This album is declaration of clear artistic intent and a reminder that, when harnessed with precision, live chaos becomes far more powerful and mesmerizing.
Pirouette is available now on Bandcamp