SPELLLING: KCRW Live from HQ

Intimate performances, fresh sounds, and candid conversations with a view.

Written by Marion Hodges May. 14, 2025

Ready for something heavy? Bay Area sonic spelunker Chrystia "Tia" Cabral (vocals, synthesizer) began making music under the moniker SPELLLING in 2015. Inspired by her then-job as an elementary school teacher, her first recorded output was a handmade CD called Crayola Church — the synth-forward songs in that collection were based on the colors in a crayon box and each CD was wrapped in children’s drawing with a handwritten tracklist applied to the canvas.

Cabal has stayed creative ever since: Her official debut album Pantheon Of Me dropped in 2017, in 2021 she established her touring band The Mystery School, and earlier this year she dropped her fourth LP Portrait of My Heart. Along the way she’s shared stages with Toro y Moi (who also appears on Portrait track “Mount Analogue”), Cat Power, and Boy Harsher (to name a few). Her festival appearances include Desert Daze, Outside Lands, and Primavera Sound.

More: Toro y Moi: KCRW Live From Anne’s Backyard

Presenting herself to KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio alongside The Mystery School — Bella King (guitar, synthesizer), Wyatt Overson (guitar), Patrick Shelley (drums), and Giulio Cetto (bass) — Cabal tears through Portrait cuts "Drain,” "Waterfall,” "Mount Analogue," and "Portrait of My Heart." Each song projects equal parts guttural intensity and gleeful abandon. Her voice careens from growl, to siren’s call in the span of seconds, anchored by chugging guitars, airtight drum beats, and synth experimentations.

Hear it for yourself via the video above where Cabal also breaks down a few of the stories behind the songs — including a foray into her fascination with Madonna’s late ‘90s opus Ray of Light.

Explore more KCRW Live From sessions

Credits:

KCRW Music Director: Alejandro Cohen
Director/Director of Photography: Kylie Hazzard
Camera operators: Milana Burdette, Kylie Hazzard, Jacqueline Lehr
KCRW Recording / Mix Engineer: Nick Lampone
Assistant Engineers: Hope Brush and Katie Gilchrest
Executive Producer: Ariana Morgenstern
Senior Producer: Anna Chang
Event Producer: Liv Surnow
Digital Producer: Marion Hodges
Digital Editorial Manager: Andrea Domanick
Social Video Editor: Tohar Zamir
Lighting Design: Jason Groman
Art Director: Evan Solano