Album Review: Sienna Spiro’s Visitor

If you’ve had an Adele-shaped hole in your heart since 30, Sienna Spiro might just be what you’ve been waiting for.

I’ve had this album, Visitor, pre-saved on Spotify for what feels like forever, checking the release date every few days. The fact that it landed on a holiday weekend couldn’t be better. Having the time to tune out the world and live inside this album is exactly what I needed.

Now, you’ll often hear me say that brevity is one of the hardest disciplines for an artist. Somewhere around 8–12 tracks usually makes for the strongest listening journey. Sienna stretches this one to 15 tracks, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it does expose a little filler right at the start.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great lines in those first two songs, and her voice is beyond lovely but I wasn’t gripped.

For me, the album doesn’t really begin until “Great Expectations” rolls in, followed by “Die on This Hill.”

From there, it’s hook, line, and sinker. This is the composed heartbreak Sienna seems to do best with a voice that somehow feels both restrained and anguished.

Then, much like Adele, she knows when to shift gears. By the time “He’s Not My Baby, I’m His” arrives, she proves she can write an upbeat song without losing emotional weight. In fact, quite the opposite, this song punched me right in the gut. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to dance with your girlfriends over wine while collectively bashing men.

She also showcases her ability to tell a great story. On “He’s Not My Baby, I’m His,” she captures the uncomfortable power imbalance of being with an older man who talks down to her and should really know better than to pursue someone so young. She wrestles with uncertainty about what he actually wants from her, but what makes the song compelling is that she never frames herself as a victim. She’s just as willing to examine her own insecurities, flaws, and self-aware role in the dynamic as she is his.

That’s the moment she earned my trust as a songwriter. She’s willing to expose the messy, contradictory parts of herself to her listeners without any clear conclusion or even lesson learned. Sometimes, life is what it is. That kind of honesty is rare, and it’s exactly the sort of authenticity that keeps me invested.

Now, “Pure” is another one I might have cut from the album, but it’s clearly an important part of Sienna’s story. In her interview with Zach Sang, she talks about learning to finesse her voice and realizing she was so desperate for recognition that she leaned too heavily into riffs, runs, and all the vocal gymnastics possible. She ultimately lands on this idea that “…you don’t want too many surprises. You don’t want a surprise with a song, you want a song with a surprise.” Honestly, that’s beautifully put. I can think of a few artists who could stand to learn that restraint often speaks volumes.

I was struck by the outro for “Pure,” where Sienna says, “I don’t know the meaning of anything in this song, I just wanna feel special.” It’s a reinforcement of the refrain: “And I don’t know what this all means / What this all means?” She’s not pretending to have answers—she’s 20, and that uncertainty feels completely honest. “Pure” isn’t my favorite track musically, but I appreciate the window it gives into her vulnerability.

“Time and Me” gives me full James Bond theme energy—such a rich, cinematic track. I’m always a sucker for well-placed strings, and this one has an ethereal, vintage feel that sort of transports you to another era.

“You Stole the Show” was previously released and already a favorite. That line—“I ask if you love me, and you just shrug your shoulders”—is so quietly devastating. It captures that very specific, one-sided kind of love in your twenties, when you’re still trying to understand commitment and you’re met with emotional evasion instead of clarity. I probably over identified with this one a bit, but the visual imagery of that “shrugged shoulder” sent me. I think a few of you out there can relate.

Every remaining track on the album delivers something different and exquisite in its own right. It’s a well rounded collection that will carry you for some time.

What an amazing start for such a talent. It’s the perfect album to sob to and I’ll admit it—I’m almost looking forward to my next devastation, like a properly melancholy soul who’s always chasing music that fits whatever ache I’m currently carrying.