New York City art-pop artist Blums, the project of songwriter and musician Kelsea Feder, has officially released her long-awaited debut album, Sunk Cost Fantasy, via Brooklyn-based independent label Take Care Records.
Six years in the making, the 11-track album brings together dreamy art-pop, trip-hop textures, glitchy electronics, moody synths and soaring vocals, creating an immersive record centred around memory, catharsis and the destructive cycles we sometimes find ourselves trapped in.
The album arrived on 7 August and follows a run of singles including “Sinking/Soaring”, “Cashout” and “Salty”, which introduced listeners to Blums’ distinctive, experimental sound.
Blums Turns the Sunk Cost Fallacy Into Art Pop
The title Sunk Cost Fantasy takes its inspiration from the sunk cost fallacy – the tendency to continue investing in something because of the time, money or energy already put into it, even when walking away may be the healthier choice.
For Feder, the concept became a framework for exploring destructive behaviour and the process of finally breaking away from familiar cycles.
Across the album, personal and confessional songwriting is paired with an increasingly expansive sonic palette. The result is an album that can feel dreamy one moment and unsettling the next, with fragmented production and sudden shifts becoming part of its emotional identity.
Feder worked alongside co-producer and bassist Kirk Palsma throughout the lengthy recording process, with the pair eventually moving away from an earlier grunge-oriented version of the project to create the pop record Feder wanted to make.
As Feder explains, the album became something of a “big messy collage” as the pair spent years experimenting with its sound and visual identity.
“Judy” Explores Generational Trauma
One of the album’s standout moments is “Judy”, which has also received an official music video.
Named after Feder’s grandmother, the track looks at familial trauma and the emotional patterns that can be passed down through generations.
The accompanying video takes place in a laundromat, where Feder performs an emotive dance while confronting these inherited cycles. A seemingly endless rope of laundry becomes a visual representation of the weight she is attempting to carry.
The visual shifts between moments of discomfort and joy, mirroring the complicated emotions at the heart of the track.
From “Sinking/Soaring” to “Salty”
Before Sunk Cost Fantasy arrived, Blums gradually introduced the album through a series of singles.
The project first emerged in April with “Sinking/Soaring”, a winding track inspired by Feder’s experience working as a jazz club hostess. Mellow vibraphone and delicate keys give the song an initially subdued atmosphere before it spirals into something more intense.
That was followed by “Cashout”, a more explosive track driven by pulsating synths and heavy drums. The song explores distressing memories and the cyclical nature of emotional highs and lows, eventually erupting into operatic vocals and cascading percussion.
Then came “Salty”, a more intimate exploration of heartbreak and self-worth. The track captures the feeling of realising you might not be what another person wants while learning to find comfort in your own company.
You can read our previous coverage of Blums’ “Salty” single here.
A Record Built From Years of Experiences
Blums’ sound is rooted in Feder’s varied creative background.
Her artistic journey has included childhood fascination with old Hollywood musicals, moving to New York to study at an actor’s conservatory, performing in a power-pop band and becoming part of the city’s independent music scene.
She has also performed alongside artists including May Rio, Bella Litsa and Nyxy Nyx, developing a reputation for memorable live performances.
Those experiences have ultimately fed into Sunk Cost Fantasy, an album that feels deliberately collage-like. Jazz and classical musicians contributed to the recording sessions, while Feder and Palsma experimented with different arrangements and production techniques to establish Blums’ identity.
The album moves between dreamy art-pop and more fractured electronic passages, with songs frequently disrupting their own atmosphere.
Sunk Cost Fantasy Tracklist
The 11-track album features:
- Intro
- Still
- Sinking/Soaring
- Salty
- Celsius
- Side of the Road
- Cashout
- Triple A (as a healer)
- Judy
- Further Away
- Unspent
The complete album is available now, including digital and limited-edition vinyl releases through Blums’ Bandcamp.
Blums Celebrates the Album With New York Show
Following the album’s release, Blums is set to celebrate Sunk Cost Fantasy with a special show at Night Club 101 in New York City on 25 August, with support from May Rio.
The performance follows recent appearances across Brooklyn and New York, where Feder has previewed material from the record and continued to establish Blums within the city’s vibrant independent music scene.
With Sunk Cost Fantasy, Blums has finally brought together years of experimentation, personal experiences and musical influences into one cohesive debut.
For fans of adventurous art pop, experimental pop, electronic music and emotionally charged songwriting, Blums is certainly an artist worth keeping on your radar.
Follow Blums:
