Kelsey Lu ‘Running To Pain’ Review: New Single & 2026 Album News

The Raw Surrender of Kelsey Lu: New Single ‘Running To Pain’

After seven years of silence since her 2019 debut Blood, Kelsey Lu has finally stepped back into the spotlight. Her new single, “Running To Pain” isn’t just a comeback track—it’s the haunting first look at her upcoming second album, So Help Me God, dropping June 12, 2026, via Dirty Hit.

Lu has always been more than just a musician. The Charlotte-born, classically trained cellist is a poet, producer, and performance artist who treats sound like a healing practice. In “Running To Pain,” those worlds collide in a way that feels deeply personal and a little bit dangerous.

Building a New Sound

If you were expecting the lush, orchestral swells of her earlier work, “Running To Pain” might catch you off guard. Produced alongside Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman, the track is built on tension. It’s got these dark, electronic pulses and jagged guitar textures that feel visceral, mirroring the lyrics about self-betrayal and emotional loops.

Lu has described the new album as a project built “slowly and intentionally across seven years of transformation.” You can hear that weight in the music—it sounds like someone who has spent a long time figuring out how to turn a collapse into a new beginning.

The ‘Running To Pain’ Visuals

The music video is just as striking as the song. Directed by Savanah Leaf (of A24’s Earth Mama fame), it was filmed against the volcanic, alien-looking landscapes of Lanzarote. Starring Lu and French actress Garance Marillier (Titane), the film captures a magnetic, messy connection between two women. It’s the first chapter of a larger cinematic vision Lu has planned for this era.

What’s Next?

So Help Me God is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious records of 2026, featuring contributions from heavyweights like Sampha, Kamasi Washington, and Kim Gordon.

If you want to catch these songs live, Lu is doing a series of intimate residencies this April at the Blue Note in both New York City and Los Angeles. It’s a rare chance to see her performance art up close before the album takes over the summer.