The first release by the band since its self-titled fourth album in 2022, it was preceded by five singles released between October 2024 and April 2025. It was given favorable ratings by publications such as online music magazine Pitchfork and London-based magazine The Line of Best Fit.
Background
Consisting of ten songs ranging between two and four minutes each, the album centers on the themes of mortality, grief and existential crisis in society related by the band's lead vocalist Emily Sprague's experiences and depression,[2] and embodies an intangible idea of the jellyfish, from which the album title was derived.[3]
The first single, "This Was a Gift", was released on October 1, 2024, while the subsequent singles were released in each of the first months of 2025.[4] The second single, "Have Heaven", was released on January 14, 2025.[5] The third and fourth singles, "Gloom Designs" and "Moon, Sea, Devil", were released on February 10, 2025, and March 10, 2025, respectively.[6][7] The fifth and final single, "Jellyfish", was released on April 1, 2025, several days prior to the album's release.[8]
Marcy Donelson of AllMusic noted in her review that Jellywish is "so often profound and not just sad or mindful" due to "a combination of candid simplicity and hints of the supernatural."[2]Pitchfork's Aimee Cliff rated the album 8.1 out of ten, stating "Embracing a playful, almost hallucinogenic sound, the indie-folk band suffuses its fifth album with wide-eyed awe at everyday miracles."[3] In her review for Uncut, Sharon O'Connell praised the "tender" instrumentation and Emily Sprague's lyrics for their "frank, ostensibly troubling yet dreamy observations about the business of being human".[12]
Paste's Olivia Abercrombie assigned the album a rating of 7.8 out of ten, describing it as "a minimalist folk wonderland, making time for flourishes of robust instrumentalism and deeply meditative lyrics tilting towards life's one certainty: uncertainty."[1] Oscar Ortega of New Noise Magazine remarked that "Each track wanders through sporadic yet interconnected images of nature and everything in life that goes unnoticed," and rated Jellywish 3.5 out of five.[10] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, John Amen gave the album a rating of eight out of ten, stating "Sprague expresses consternation, curiosity, and gratitude via laconic lyrics, enrolling melodies, and sincere vocals". He concluded, "Jellywish includes some of her most intimate work. As a listener, it’s as if you’re being privately serenaded during an exquisite chemical sunset".[11]
Composition
The album's primary instrumentation includes the guitar and piano.[3] The opening song "Levitate", performed with the acoustic guitar, was noted as a gentle track, while the composition of the second song "Have Heaven" includes drums, electronic instrumentation, and various effects.[2]
The third track "Jellyfish", incorporating elements of indie folk, was described as an acoustic big picture song together with the eighth song in the album, "Moon, Sea, Devil", due to their lyrics of broad perspective questions,[2][8] while the fourth song "Started to Glow" was comparatively noted as more introspective due to its theme encompassing suicide.[2] "This Was a Gift", the fifth song described as a song addressing heartbreak as a necessity of love, was performed with the electric guitar.[3] The sixth track "All the Same Light" is an acoustic ballad,[3] while the seventh song "Sparkle Song" was described as being about gratitude and affection, and using fingerstyle guitar.[2]
The ninth song "Our Hearts in a Room" introduces a perspective of Sprague on family and community, the same as the closing track "Gloom Designs", that portrays Sprague in a conversation with her mother in spirit form.[3]
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