Sugar on Blackstone

A darker yet delicately rendered work from Kristin Hersh, Sugar On Blackstone explores life and death, enrichment and poverty, and the small but defining moments of childhood that continue to echo through adult life. Deeply personal and emotionally expansive, the album reflects on the lasting bonds between musicians, family and friends, and the way certain sounds, places and memories can suddenly bring someone vividly back into focus. Recorded at Stable Sound Studios earlier this year, Hersh is joined by longtime collaborators Rob Ahlers (50FOOTWAVE) on drums and cellist Pete Harvey (Throwing Muses). The result is a stark yet warm collection of songs that balances fragility with force, intimacy with tension. Rooted in Providence, Rhode Island, Sugar On Blackstone draws heavily from Hersh’s reflections on home, displacement and memory. Revisiting the streets and parks of her childhood, the record traces the emotional weight of returning to familiar places shaped by grief, survival and resilience. The album’s title references Blackstone Boulevard and Hope Street in Providence, locations that become symbolic throughout the record of both loss and endurance. Written in the aftermath of personal tragedy and against the backdrop of constant travel, wildfires and restless movement across America, the album carries an unsettled atmosphere throughout. Yet within that darkness, Hersh finds moments of tenderness and connection. A poignant and expansive record that radiates strength in vulnerability, Sugar On Blackstone stands as another essential entry in Kristin Hersh’s acclaimed and ever-evolving body of work.