By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – After nearly a decade of silence from one of the most enigmatic projects in the modern shoegaze landscape, the trio known as Helen has officially emerged from the shadows. Comprising the formidable talents of Liz Harris—best known for her haunting work as Grouper—alongside bassist Scott Simmons and drummer Jed Bindeman, the band has announced the impending release of their second studio album, titled Linda’s Head. Set to arrive on October 2 via the venerable independent label Kranky, the record marks a significant milestone for the group, arriving eleven years after their debut full-length effort first captivated listeners with its hazy, distorted allure.
The announcement serves as a major moment for fans of the "Portland sound" and the broader experimental indie scene. Helen’s return is not merely a reunion but a resurrection of a specific sonic identity that sits at the intersection of dream-pop melody and abrasive, wall-of-sound textures. While Harris has remained a prolific and essential figure in music through her primary outlet, Grouper, as well as various other collaborative ventures, Helen represents a distinct side of her artistry—one that leans into the rhythmic propulsion of a traditional rock power trio while maintaining the ethereal, submerged vocals that have become her hallmark.
To coincide with the album announcement, the band has shared two preview tracks that offer a glimpse into the evolution of their sound: the title track, "Linda’s Head," and a sequel of sorts titled "Dead Shark II." These compositions suggest that the band has lost none of the atmospheric tension that defined their 2015 debut, The Original Faces. That earlier record was celebrated for its brevity and intensity, delivering short bursts of melodic noise that felt both immediate and distant. With the arrival of the new material, it appears Helen is prepared to expand upon that foundation, exploring deeper layers of fuzz and rhythmic complexity.
The history of Helen is one rooted in friendship and a shared aesthetic for the obscured. When The Original Faces was released in 2015, it was treated as something of a "supergroup" project, though the members themselves likely would have eschewed such a grandiose label. At the time, Liz Harris was already a titan of ambient and lo-fi music, but Helen allowed her to pick up the electric guitar and lean into the "gaze" half of shoegaze. Bassist Scott Simmons and drummer Jed Bindeman (the latter known for his work in the psychedelic outfit Eternal Tapestry) provided a grounding force that transformed Harris’s ghostly melodies into something more physical and percussive. The result was a record that felt like a transmission from a basement rehearsal space that had somehow been caught in a time loop between 1991 and the present day.
In the years following their debut, the members of Helen moved on to various other endeavors, leaving the project in a state of indefinite hiatus. Harris continued to refine her solo output, releasing the critically acclaimed Shade in 2021, an album that saw her revisiting different eras of her songwriting and recording history. Bindeman remained active in the Pacific Northwest music scene, contributing to various experimental projects and maintaining his reputation as a versatile percussionist. Despite the lack of news regarding Helen, the cult following for The Original Faces only grew, with the album frequently cited as a modern touchstone for the shoegaze genre.
The decision to release Linda’s Head through Kranky is a natural fit. The Chicago-based label has long been the home for Harris’s most essential work, and its roster—which has included names like Stars of the Lid, Low, and Deerhunter—is synonymous with music that prioritizes mood, texture, and emotional resonance. Kranky’s curation has always favored artists who operate on the fringes of conventional structure, making it the perfect vehicle for Helen’s peculiar brand of distorted pop.
The tracklist for Linda’s Head reveals a ten-song journey that promises to be as evocative as its titles suggest. Opening with "Faraway," the album moves through sequences like "Starline" and "Endless Sky" before reaching the centerpiece title track. Interestingly, the album features two tracks titled "Dead Shark" and "Dead Shark II," suggesting a thematic or sonic continuity that fans will undoubtedly spend hours deconstructing. The record concludes with "Stay With Me" and "Canyon," titles that evoke the sense of vast, lonely landscapes that often permeate Harris’s lyrical and musical themes.
While the news of a new Helen album is enough to stir the underground music community, it is not the only update regarding Harris’s schedule. This September, she is slated to embark on a limited engagement tour across North America under her Grouper moniker. This mini-tour will see her performing in select cities, including Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Kingston, New York. These performances are rare occurrences, as Harris is known for her selective approach to touring, often choosing venues and atmospheres that complement the intimate, fragile nature of her solo compositions.
The timing of the Grouper tour and the Helen album release creates a unique moment of visibility for Harris, an artist who typically shuns the spotlight. It offers a rare opportunity for audiences to engage with both sides of her musical personality: the hushed, introspective vulnerability of Grouper and the loud, submerged energy of Helen. Though the tour is solo, the shadow of the new Helen material will undoubtedly loom large over the proceedings, as fans anticipate how the two projects might inform one another in a live setting.
Reflecting on the legacy of The Original Faces, critics often pointed to the way Helen managed to make noise feel comfortable. There was a warmth to the distortion, a sense that the listener was being wrapped in a thick, woolly blanket of sound. The vocals were rarely the focal point; instead, they acted as another instrument, a melodic hum that drifted in and out of the feedback. If the new singles are any indication, Linda’s Head will continue this tradition while perhaps introducing a more refined sense of production. "Dead Shark II" in particular showcases a driving rhythm section that feels more prominent than in previous recordings, suggesting that Bindeman and Simmons have found new ways to push the songs forward through the haze.
The anticipation for Linda’s Head also speaks to a broader resurgence of interest in shoegaze and dream-pop. In an era dominated by high-definition digital production, there is a growing craving for the tactile, the imperfect, and the obscured. Helen embodies these qualities perfectly. Their music sounds like it has been weathered by the elements, like a cassette tape left out in the rain or a photograph faded by the sun. It is music that requires the listener to lean in, to listen closely to find the hooks buried beneath the layers of fuzz.
As October 2 approaches, the release of Linda’s Head stands as one of the most significant independent music events of the autumn. For those who have spent the last nine years revisiting the short, sharp shocks of The Original Faces, the prospect of ten new tracks is a gift of unexpected proportions. It serves as a reminder that the most compelling artists often work on their own timelines, ignoring the pressures of the industry in favor of a slower, more deliberate creative process.
In the lead-up to the release, Kranky is expected to provide further details regarding physical formats, including vinyl pressings that are sure to become collectors’ items given the band’s history. For now, the two available singles serve as a haunting bridge between the past and the present, proving that Helen’s voice remains as essential and evocative as ever. Whether this marks the beginning of a more active chapter for the trio or simply another fleeting transmission from the void, Linda’s Head is poised to be a landmark addition to the discographies of all involved.
The full tracklist for Linda’s Head is as follows:
01 Faraway
02 Starline
03 Endless Sky
04 Linda’s Head
05 Darkblue
06 Dead Shark
07 Dead Shark II
08 Black and Quiet Love
09 Stay With Me
10 Canyon
