Princess Nokia's "Girls" Album Blends Brutality and Beauty in Feminist Anthem

In the two years since Princess Nokia's 2023 release "i love you but this is goodbye," the New York-based rapper has become enamored with the work of cult filmmaker David Lynch, particularly the iconic TV series "Twin Peaks" and its protagonist, Laura Palmer. This influence is evident in Princess Nokia's latest album, "Girls," which launched on October 1st, 2025.

The album kicks off with a track titled "Blue Velvet," a direct nod to Lynch's 1986 film of the same name. Over the course of the album, Princess Nokia tackles the theme of patriarchal violence and its crushing effects on women, drawing parallels to the haunting prom scene in the 1976 film "Carrie." With a deadpan delivery and imagery of Greek mythical macabre and Santeria, the artist drills into her targets, evoking the startling expression of Sissy Spacek's character as she surveys the chaos she has unleashed.

While some tracks on "Girls" wane in focus and intensity, the album's production, crafted by Princess Nokia and the duo of Joey Wunsch and Al von Staats, is consistently enthralling. The juxtaposition of blaring '80s synths on the anthemic "Medusa" and the soothing ocean waves swirling in the background of "Period Blood" creates a natural ebb and flow, mirroring the album's thematic duality of brutality and beauty, cruelty and love.