Since her 1992 debut, PJ Harvey has purposefully defied characterization, each new record deliberately and meticulously exploring a new facet of her guitar-heavy sound. On her eighth album, she goes full-tilt indie rock, playing all instruments (except drums), recording a full minute of seagull calls (“Seagulls”), and featuring a two-minute, expletive-filled tantrum. She’s as strident as ever, singing “You can’t make me be a wife” on dark folk ballad “The Pocket Knife”, while “The Letter” sees Harvey reveling in her sexuality.