The Thread

The Thread
Studio album by
Willow
ReleasedJuly 24, 2026 (2026-07-24)
Recorded2025
Genres
Length36:10
LabelThree Six Zero Recordings
ProducersWillow, Chris Greatti
Willow chronology
Petal Rock Black
(2026) 		The Thread
(2026)

The Thread (stylized in all caps as THE THREAD) is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Willow. It was released on July 24, 2026, by Three Six Zero Recordings. The album was announced on May 29, 2026, alongside the release of its lead single, "Talk on the Hill".[1] The album features a guest appearance from guitarist and singer-songwriter Mei Semones.[2]

Serving as the follow-up to her 2026 album Petal Rock Black, The Thread continues Willow's experimentation with art pop, jazz, alternative rock, and soul. Described by Willow as an "album of devotionals," the record explores themes of spirituality and the divine feminine.[2] The album was met with mostly favorable reviews from music critics, who praised its experimentation, vocal performances, and greater musical cohesion, while some reviewers found its songwriting overly abstract.[3][4]

The album debuted at number 8 on the U.S. Top Jazz Albums Chart.[5] Consequence awarded The Thread its "Album of the Month" designation for July, 2026.[6][7] ABC News included it on its list of “July's Must-Hear Albums,” while Pitchfork included it in “9 New Albums You Should Listen to Now.”[8][9]

Background

The Thread was announced on May 29, 2026, alongside the release of its lead single "Talk on the Hill". The album was released on July 24 through Three Six Zero Recordings.[1][2]

The album reunites Willow with producer Chris Greatti, with whom she previously collaborated on Coping Mechanism (2022) and Empathogen (2024).[2] Willow described the project as a "devotional" album, explaining that she approached each song as an act of singing to "the holy mystery" and giving praise.[10] Apple Music similarly described the album as consisting of "devotionals" and "interrogations of the spiritual world and WILLOW's spiritual self."[2]

The Thread was recorded during a series of studio sessions with Greatti in 2025. According to a profile published by The New York Times, Willow and Greatti worked together for several days each month between August and December 2025, recording material that would become The Thread.[11]

Composition

The Thread continues Willow's movement away from the pop-punk sound of her earlier work toward a genre-crossing combination of jazz, soul, rock, and art pop. KEXP described the album as a sophisticated set of soulful, jazz-inflected indie rock, highlighting Willow's intricate guitar work, acrobatic vocals, and varied moods and tempos.[10] HotNewHipHop identified elements of R&B, folk, indie, and math rock throughout the album.[12]

The album's opening track, "She's My Religion", combines acoustic guitar, percussion, and choral vocals and addresses the divine feminine through the archetype of the "Divine Mother".[2] "Unconditional" features a light falsetto over intricate acoustic arrangements, while "Talk on the Hill" combines guitar, percussion, and layered harmonies.[2]

"Crush on Eternity", which features Mei Semones on guest vocals and guitar, incorporates staccato acoustics, layered harmonies, jazz-influenced vocal runs, and pop-oriented songwriting.[3] Other songs incorporate punk guitar and electronic percussion, including "Tall Baby", while "Hell to Pay" combines scat-style vocals with an R&B refrain.[3]

Release and promotion

The album was released on July 24, 2026, through Three Six Zero Recordings.[2] The album was preceded by the single "Talk on the Hill", which was released alongside the album's announcement on May 29.[1]

Willow performed "Talk on the Hill" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of July 13, 2026, in an appearance promoting The Thread.[13] She later gave fans an early preview of the album at a listening party presented by Free People at Public Records in Brooklyn, New York. She also released visualizers for "Talk on the Hill" and "She's My Religion".[2][14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[15]
The Daily TexanStarStarStarStar[16]
ENOLA8/10[17]
HotNewHipHopStarStarStarStar[12]
Pitchfork6.8/10[3]
Shatter the StandardsStarStarStarStar[18]
Spectrum Culture7.1/10[19]
WECB (FM)7.5/10[20]

The Thread received praise from music critics, with multiple outlets praising its experimentation, vocal performances, and sonic cohesion.[21] Pitchfork praised the album's synthesis of Willow's genre-hopping tendencies into a more coherent sound, noting her increased vocal confidence and the structured experimentation of "Crush on Eternity". The review also criticized the album's songwriting as occasionally overly abstract and argued that its emphasis on musical virtuosity could overshadow its simpler emotional qualities.[3]

All Music described The Thread as "a richly woven tapestry that only gets better with each listen" further noting "much like the creative jump on her early-2020s rock-powered duo Lately I Feel Everything and Coping Mechanism, The Thread is an excellent culmination of her jazz-indebted period, whose trajectory was laid out by the more experimental, free-form Empathogen and funky, vibe-heavy Petal Rock Black. Of the trio, this is the most immediate, accessible, and fully engrossing, merging the boundary-pushing ideas of its predecessors with some sharper pop songcraft."[15]

Complex characterized the album as a bold new artistic direction and emphasized its devotional themes and Willow's continued experimentation with jazz, rock, and soul.[22] KEXP described the album as a "confident statement" from an artist who refuses to remain stylistically static, while HotNewHipHop praised Willow's willingness to experiment across multiple genres.[10][12] The New York Times described Willow's music as increasingly complex, ambitious, virtuosic, and difficult to place within a single genre, while emphasizing the album's spiritual aspirations.[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written and produced by Willow and Chris Greatti, except where noted. Credits adapted from Apple Music and Tidal.[2][23][24]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."She's My Religion"Willow, Chris GreattiWillow, Greatti4:00
2."The Thread"Willow, GreattiWillow, Greatti3:42
3."Unconditional"Willow, GreattiWillow, Greatti3:25
4."Talk on the Hill"Willow, GreattiWillow, Greatti3:27
5."Hell to Pay"Willow, GreattiWillow, Greatti3:09
6."Shrink to Fantasy"Willow, Greatti, Zach TenorioWillow, Greatti4:21
7."Crush on Eternity" (featuring Mei Semones)Willow, Greatti, SemonesWillow, Greatti, Semones2:46
8."Tall Baby"Willow, GreattiWillow, Greatti3:55
9."The Present Moment"Willow, Greatti, Oscar Horner, OzkatWillow, Greatti, Ozkat, Brad Oberhofer3:45
10."Bone Collector"Willow, GreattiWillow, Greatti3:40
Total length:36:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from Apple Music and Tidal.[2][23]

  • Willow – vocals, production, composition, arrangement, guitar, piano, drums, Fender Rhodes, percussion, Moog, synthesizer
  • Chris Greatti – production, composition, arrangement, guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, Moog, recording, editing
  • Mei Semones – vocals, guitar, Mellotron, composition, arrangement, production (track 7)
  • Caroline Whitaker – guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, Moog, recording, engineering
  • Jack Mello – guitar, bass, piano, Moog, percussion, drums, recording, editing (track 2)
  • Asher Bank – guitar, bass, Moog, percussion, recording, editing (track 3)
  • Tommy Turner – guitar, bass, Moog, percussion, programming, drums
  • Zach Tenorio – guitar, percussion, piano, Moog, recording, editing
  • Ray Belli – Fender Rhodes, synthesizer, Moog
  • Roni Kaspi – drums, piano, Moog
  • Oscar Horner – guitar, percussion, composition, arrangement
  • Ozkat – guitar, bass, piano, composition
  • Brad Oberhofer – strings, keyboards, arrangement, production
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing
  • Nathan Dantzler – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for The Thread
Chart (2026) Peak
position
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[25] 8

References

  1. ^ a b c "WILLOW Announces New Album The Thread For July 2026 Release, Shares New Single & Video "Talk On The Hill"". mxdwn Music. May 29, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Thread". Apple Music. July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Thread". Pitchfork. August 5, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  4. ^ "WILLOW – The Thread (Album Review)". RGM. July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  5. ^ "Chart Beat: KATSEYE, Charli xcx, Madonna and More Chart Highlights". Billboard. 2026-08-08. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  6. ^ "Consequence". X. 2026-08-05. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  7. ^ "Staff Picks: Best Albums of July 2026". Consequence. 2026-08-05. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  8. ^ Condon, Dan; Newstead, Al; Fry, Courtney (2026-07-31). "From The Strokes to Charli xcx and Dobby, these are July's must-hear albums". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  9. ^ Corcoran, Nina; Lindert, Hattie; Monroe, Jazz (2026-07-24). "9 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Charli XCX, the Strokes, Tyla, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  10. ^ a b c "New Music Reviews (7/27)". KEXP. July 27, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  11. ^ a b "The Devotion of Willow Smith". The New York Times. July 23, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c "The Thread - Album by WILLOW". HotNewHipHop. July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  13. ^ "Jimmy Kimmel Live Schedule for the Week of 7/13/2026". ABC. July 10, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  14. ^ Bernstein, Scott (2026-07-16). "WILLOW Finds 'The Thread' With 'Talk On The Hill' Performance On 'Kimmel'". JamBase. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  15. ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. (2026-07-24). "The Thread". AllMusic. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  16. ^ Haigis, Phoenix (2026-07-26). "WILLOW weaves vulnerability, growth into 'The Thread'". The Daily Texan. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  17. ^ Devriendt, Harald (2026-08-11). "WILLOW :: The Thread". Enola (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  18. ^ LeRoux, Maya (2026-07-23). "Album Review: The Thread by WILLOW". Shatter the Standards. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  19. ^ "WILLOW: The Thread". Spectrum Culture. 2026-08-02. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  20. ^ Johnson, Christopher (2026-08-08). "Review: WILLOW – "The Thread"". WECB. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  21. ^ Holian, Danielle (2026-07-06). ""The Shadow Is Holy": WILLOW's "She's My Religion" Is a Mesmerizing Hymn to the Divine Feminine". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  22. ^ "WILLOW's The Thread Is Her Bold Devotional Jazz-Rock Era". Complex. July 23, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  23. ^ a b "The Thread — Credits". TIDAL. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  24. ^ "The Thread, Willow". Qobuz. July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  25. ^ "Willow Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2026.

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