Ones2Watch Home

Photo by Dillon Matthew

I know I don’t have to tell anyone reading this that your twenties are strange, yet thrilling as well, I’m willing to bet we’re all experiencing it together. Between tears, laughs, nights turning into mornings, and situationships or maybe even friendships starting or falling apart, you keep asking yourself whether you’re becoming who you’re supposed to be. On her fourth and latest record, IS THIS THE END?, Chelsea Cutler doesn’t try to answer the question, she just lets it all happen at once just like the rest of us. 

Out now via Mercury Records, the album is shaped by New York City and the adult life Chelsea has built there (Twin! She’s just like me!). It follows a period when she stepped back to reconnect with herself and rediscover the joy of making music, and you can really hear it through this record. This is a bolder, looser Chelsea, and she’s more interested in the messy than tidying it up. 

The mindset is crystal clear in the singles that led the way up to this record. Between “BAD,” “SORRY I’M OBSESSED WITH YOU,” “WHAT ELSE?,” and “THIS TIME OF THE YEAR” each offer up a different glimpse into this record’s world and I’d honestly say they also offer a mirror where you can see at least a thread of your own twenties in. Chelsea also manages to look back on this record, drawing inspiration from the past to reflect on how far she’s come and what it’s like to experience growing pains. Both the sound and visuals reconnect with the worlds that first made her want to become an artist, which is a beautiful duality of past and present and craft a one of a kind record. 

For an artist known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, that return to her roots suits her. Since How To Be Human back in 2020, she has built a devoted audience and billions of streams by pairing singer-songwriter honesty with big, bold hooks. When I Close My Eyes and Stellaria deepened that connection, and her collaborations with Jeremy Zucker on the brent series, most recently 2024’s brent iii, only widened it. IS THIS THE END? really, truly, feels like the next step, as it’s a record that builds on the vulnerability she’s known for while sounding more freewheeling than ever. 

The album’s world is unmistakably New York: sunsets over the West Side Highway, the skyline from a Dumbo rooftop, laughter on a night out with your best friends, the nervous rush of a first date (or maybe the nervous urge to text your ex), dancing until four in the morning, and the quiet of the city as the sun rises in the first moments of the morning. It doesn’t gloss over the harder side of things either, the heartbreak that makes a pit in your stomach, walking home after ending a friendship you’ve had a long time, or losing a job you worked really hard to get. The summation of emotions is described by Chelsea herself as chaos and mess, hurt and healing, rebelling and acceptance, and it’s every version of Chelsea she’s ever been (even the ones she doesn’t like). 

That’s what makes this record relatable, Chelsea plainly admits she doesn’t even like every version of herself that appears on the record, but that’s exactly why she loves this record. Nothing here is sugarcoated, or seen through rose-colored lenses, it’s honesty in it’s purest form, and straight to the point like hitting a bullseye on a dart board. If you’re listening to this record, you’ll no doubt find solidarity in the mess and you should know it’s okay to take a deep breath to pivot, change your mind, and recalibrate. 

Chelsea Cutler asked you a question at the beginning, even before you hit play on the album, were you listening? Hint hint, read the title again. Though it’s a worrying question that might make you nervous, this album is less worrisome than it suggests. Whether it’s the end of a relationship, chapter of your life, or a version of yourself, Chelsea's answer is that you can accept it, embrace it, and keep on going. IS THIS THE END? Is a big-hearted, unapologetic record from an artist who sounds more comfortable in her own skin than ever. 

Listen to IS THIS THE END? below: