The Dark is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe. It was released on August 21, 2026, through Loma Vista Recordings. It was preceded by the singles "The Dark", "Death Is Not the End", and the lead single "Cold".
The album was written by Wolfe alongside longtime collaborator Ben Chisholm and songwriter Jennifer Decilveo. Additional contributions come from Robin Finck, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Matt Chamberlain, Stella Mozgawa, and members of Kælan Mikla.
Background and promotion Following the release of She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She and its companion Undone and Unbound EPs in 2024, Wolfe began work on new material with longtime collaborator Ben Chisholm. Songwriter and producer Jennifer Decilveo also joined the creative process, marking one of Wolfe's most collaborative studio projects to date. Work on the album began in 2024, with initial sessions between Wolfe and Decilveo taking place in Los Angeles. Wolfe described the writing as "really quickly and easily", citing their shared experience as women of the same age in the music industry as a factor in their connection. Wolfe announced the album on July 21, 2026, alongside promotional visuals depicting her in a "foggy wilderness".
On June 23, 2026, Wolfe released the dual singles "Death Is Not the End" and "The Dark", the latter serving as the album's title track. Describing the songs, Revolver writer Gregory Adams called "Death Is Not the End" a "transformatory track" featuring Wolfe's "gently whispered vocal", while noting that "The Dark" "begins airily" before building to an "explosive finale". Upon announcing the album on July 21, 2026, Wolfe simultaneously released its third single, "Cold". In support of the album, Wolfe is set to embark on a North American tour in September and October 2026.
Critical reception
On Any Decent Music, the album has a weighted average score of 7.4 out of 10 from six critic scores.
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from Tidal. Chelsea Wolfe – vocals, production (all tracks); acoustic guitar (track 1), bass guitar (2), guitar (6–8) Ben Chisholm – production, synthesizer (all tracks); bass guitar (1, 5, 9); electric guitar, mandolin (1); guitar (2–9), programming (2–7, 9, 10), piano (2, 3, 5), vocals (6, 8) Jennifer Decilveo – production (all tracks), piano (1, 4, 6, 8–10), synthesizer (3, 4, 9), programming (3, 4) Marta Salogni – mixing Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering Sean Cook – engineering (1), additional engineering (2–10) Sam Kauffman-Skloff – drums (1) Derek Coburn – engineering (2–10) Matt Chamberlain – drums (2–4, 7, 9) Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar (2, 4) Sam KS – percussion (2) Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass guitar (3, 4, 6–8, 10) Robin Finck – guitar (3, 7–9) Kælan Mikla – additional vocals (3) Stella Mozgawa – drums (5, 6, 8) Laena Myers – violin (10)
Charts + Chart performance for The Dark Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 90 Danish Vinyl Albums (Hitlisten) 32 French Physical Albums (SNEP) 53 French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) 26 UK Albums Sales (Official Charts) 32
References