Spellling, Carrie Feller and Dear Donna

Spellling is the moniker of Oakland-based artist Chrystia Cabral, an experimental pop artist whose latest album, "The Turning Wheel," saw a departure from her traditional synth roots to orchestrate and record something like 31 different instruments for the record. She's touring with a full band (not 31 instruments, but that's probably for the best on the Casbah stage), and you can expect mesmerizing, complex but still catchy, gut-punching music.

The album's opener, "Little Deer," which is inspired by the famous Frida Kahlo "Wounded Deer" painting, is fantastic, but I'm partial to the second track, the seemingly timeless "Always." It sounds like it could be about a romance from the 1950s or maybe the late '80s, or even a hundred years in the future.

Opening is local Carrie Feller (listen to her 2020 EP, "Damage Orbit," here) and Orange County pop artist Dear Donna (listen to her latest single, 2022's "stash" here).

Details: Friday, Apr. 22, 2022. 9:30 p.m. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. $20.
—Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS

Related links:
The Casbah on Instagram
Spellling on Instagram
Carrie Feller on Instagram
Dear Donna on Instagram