A siren-like newcomer to the music scene, Genevieve Stokes is making waves in alternative music at just 23. Stokes has weathered years of chasing perfection, only to find herself back in her home state of Maine, standing steadfast beneath the beam of a lone lighthouse—its protection cutting through a lightning storm. In the Tarot world, a recurring divination motif throughout Stokes’ recordings, the storm and the lighthouse form a striking duality: chaos and sanctuary, destruction and rebirth. This duality is the essence of her smoldering debut album, “With a Lightning Strike.”
The record sails through turbulent waters, opening with the brooding “Desert Eagle” before turning toward the euphoric ghost hymn “When Your Heart Opens.” The 13-track project glitters with unbridled honesty, but these two tracks shine brightest in a treasure trove of introspective self-healing. In an interview with Beyond the Pines, Stokes reflected on the uncharted territory of piecing together her first album. She created magic in her hometown with longtime friend and creative director Abbie Pitre, alongside bandmates Fiona Stocks-Lyons and Pete Cararella, while simultaneously emerging from a soul-consuming storm with a sense of serenity.
“With my past projects, everything felt sterile, like I was striving for perfection,” she shared from her childhood home, resting after her largest headline tour to date. “This time, I wanted it to feel real and cathartic.”
The lush landscape of the Pine Tree State breathed life into her sonic metamorphosis, an evolution anchored in dreamy indie pop and experimental elements drawn from her idols. “Fiona Apple was a huge influence [on this record],” Stokes said, pointing to the angsty, percussion-driven opener “Desert Eagle,” which she described as a “stim” song that began on a water-damaged piano in her garage. Besides her desire to write lyrics with Apple someday, Stokes also cites Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, Caroline Polachek, and Yung Lean as additional inspiration points. “I did a deep dive into my favorite artists—not necessarily to take from them, but to understand what compelled them to create.” These genre-defining trailblazers, combined with her low-lit introspection, took final form in Los Angeles’ legendary Sound City Studios.
“Having people who really support and understand what you’re trying to do is such a game-changer,” Stokes added. “I’ve worked with my high-school friend Abbie for years now—she’s done so much of the cover art and videos. This whole project was so friend-driven. Like the music video for ‘River,’ which she directed and [that we] made with my best friends. It’s how I want to make everything now.”
Unlike much of the album, “River” is a rare thumper conceived outside the walls of Maine. Written as a means of grounding herself while visiting New Orleans, its genesis was spiritually raw, yet its accompanying visual returned to the intimacy of coastal Maine, using black-and-white imagery. This back-and-forth illustrates a recurring thread in Stokes’ artistry—an artist anchored at home but constantly exploring and unearthing new depths of creativity.
Above even Stokes’ love for Maine lies her fascination with Tarot cards, which served as a large inspiration for her 2021 EP, “Chasing Rabbits.” “I just love symbols,” Stokes says. “Tarot made me feel like there was magic in life again, turning the mundane into something whimsical.” Stokes recalls pulling the Tower card early in the recording process of “With a Lightning Strike”—her favorite, she says, due to its polarizing symbolism of transformation.
“The Tower card always struck me. It’s extreme and scary, but it’s also the card of transformation. That energy is so powerful.” When presented upside down, the Tower card can indicate a resistance to change or personal transformation. But Stokes bet on a different ending for herself, saying, “‘With a Lightning Strike’ feels the same way—chaos at first, like lightning striking the tower [in the album artwork]. But by the end, the pieces fall into place, and there’s a sense of peace.”
Produced by longtime collaborator Tony Berg, known for his work with Phoebe Bridgers and Paul McCartney, “With a Lightning Strike” marks a turning point for Stokes as she peels back layers of whimsy to reveal a darker, more intimate exploration of heartbreak and resilience.
“We started with a lot of energy, experimenting and making fun things,” Stokes says. “But by the end, it was winter, dark and cold, and I felt more recluse.” This duality pulses throughout the collective of songs, which sees the titular torch track, “With a Lightning Strike,” evolve into the album’s ethereal acoustic-folk finale, “How Things End.” Each entry, from the whimsical rock zingers of “Life of a Woman” to the earthy falsettos and thunderous synths of “Old Friend,” weaves Stokes’ tortured love history into behemoths of symphony, balanced by moments of delicate indie balladry.
True to Stokes’ words, the beginning of “With a Lightning Strike” is chaotic, steeped in the darkest textures of alt-rock, haunting piano, and cascading drums. “It’s funny because the first and last tracks are actually about two different people,” she explained of the mirroring lyrics on “Desert Eagle” and “How Things End,” mentioning that the album as a whole centers on various individuals. But the emotional arc of the album reflects more than heartbreak—it mirrors her own mental health journey.
For example, the piano-driven pre-closing track, “God,” depicts Stokes’ ruminating thoughts on the way toward self-acceptance. “I felt disconnected from my intuition for so long, [and] writing helped me reintegrate into myself,” she admits. “I’ve realized that I relive the same phases with people. The tone reflects my growth—it starts with chaos and ends in peace. But I’m always kind of living those phases at the same time.”
Perhaps the most under-championed tracks toggling between chaos and calm are the diary-like “I Can’t Leave” and the less reserved “Mean Guy,” which both wield eclectic production anecdotes via electric basslines and Polachek-esque operatics. Stokes admits seeing her fans’ responses to her new tracks on tour has been simultaneously overwhelming and healing.
“The tour allowed me to confront my past in front of an audience, so hearing fans sing along to songs like ‘Mean Guy’ and ‘Surface Tension’ was beyond surreal,” she said. Touring alongside artists such as a then pre-famous Noah Kahan and rising star Sarah Kinsley helped grow her stage confidence. However, Stokes emphasizes that knowing people paid to see her perform made the experience more wholesome and, in ways, easier.
“I have in-ears, so I don’t always hear the crowd, but my friends told me people were singing along the whole time.”
Similarly, “With a Lightning Strike” leaves Stokes ignited with newfound creative freedom, and now the singer is cautiously exploring the next chapter.
“I have songs that could make a second album,” she teases. “But, right now, I’m focused on a deluxe version of this debut record.” Still, Stokes is in no rush to define the future. “I’m in a phase of listening and absorbing new things. There’s no need to limit myself yet.”
Whether it’s reconnecting with her Maine roots or contemplating dream collaborations—such as one with Alex G, whom she fondly calls “creative and weird”—Stokes is finally allowing her creativity to breathe.
Normally, lightning strikes in a split second, but Stokes effortlessly bottles its raw energy and uses every volt to paint “With a Lightning Strike” in an unforgettable light. Her debut is a healthy rhapsody of contradictions: chaos and calm, heartbreak and healing, intimacy and glamour. Yet through it all, she’s weathered the storm and carved a niche for herself.
Maine may remain Stokes’ anchor, but her music is the vessel, ready to set sail and captivate listeners with its bewitching depth. It’s clear alt-pop needs a new voice like Stokes to steer the genre in 2025, and with an expansive and experimentally delicious debut, “With a Lightning Strike” emerges as a fiery beacon guiding the lost back home. Stokes doesn’t just sing about transformation—she’s survived it. With her sights set on the horizon, one thing is certain for the Maine native: storms may always loom, but with her words, she will weather them all.
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