Kira McSpice - Saturnism (2026) [Hi-Res]

In astrology, the Saturn return is the biggest driving force for transformation, surfacing confusion about your identity and life path, while giving you lessons that, if you succeed at, you're able to emerge with the answers to become a better version of yourself. It's caused by Saturn orbiting to the position it was in during the time of your birth, a process that occurs every 29 years.

South Salem-based gothic singer-songwriter Kira McSpice braced herself for this astrological shift, enlisting the guidance of her friend Trina Merz, a breathwork facilitator and hypnotherapist. Merz suggested trying hypnosis to navigate this mystifying period, an experiment to see what could be uncovered in McSpice's inner psyche. Under Merz's guidance, McSpice found herself in a deep trance, leading her on a journey: she took a train to the desert, and when she arrived, McSpice found a house that reminded her of her childhood home, which she had left in her early teens. As she wandered through its rooms, she crossed paths with a ghostly figure, grazing each other's hands before emerging from the trance.

Following her trance, McSpice wrote a four-album series inspired by her Saturn return titled “A Return in 4 Parts.” The first of the tetrad is Saturnism, out on February 27, 2026 via Danger Collective. "With your Saturn return, you're stepping into a new room of your life and you're responsible for decorating the room, orienting the furniture," says McSpice. "These four albums are me trying to sort out what is important and trying to place myself in a position in the right direction for the next 30 years of my life until the next Saturn return happens."

To join her on her journey, McSpice includes many of her longtime friends and collaborators in Saturnism. Tyler Skoglund returns as co-producer, engineering and mixing the LP, and contributing bass synth, 12-string, Rhodes, among other instruments. She also invited current and former members of the art-rock project Sloppy Jane as her backing band: Lily Desmond on violin, Leng Bian on harp, Sean Brennan on additional cello (who also wrote string arrangements), Alec Val Domingo Santamaria on viola, and Will Ponturo—McSpice's husband and another one of her closest collaborators—on drums. Madeline Johnston, who performs as Midwife, additionally contributes vocals and synth.

Throughout Saturnism, McSpice explores the past to start anew, revisiting the painful memories of her youth and the duality of heaviness and lightness that shaped her life. Given that your Saturn return helps you understand what you need to break away from, McSpice realized that she was stuck in an endless loop of toxic habits, wanting to break free from the cycle. While she had taken the first step by recognizing that she needed to be kinder to herself rather than continuing to be her own harshest critic, the challenge was in discovering how to get there. It was an arduous process that led to a monumental breakthrough, leaving behind the confusion and hurt she felt. These labors resulted in a breathtaking record, one whose lush and dreamy soundscapes are anchored by McSpice's steady guitar playing and tremulous vibrato, which ground us for a similarly surrealistic interior journey.

-Words by Tatiana Tenreyro