Woman of Faces

Woman of Faces
Studio album by
Celeste
Released14 November 2025 (2025-11-14)
Genre
Length33:54
LabelPolydor
Producer
[1]
Celeste chronology
Not Your Muse
(2021) 		Woman of Faces
(2025)
Singles from Woman of Faces
  1. "This Is Who I Am"
    Released: 7 November 2024[2]
  2. "On With The Show"
    Released: 20 June 2025[3]
  3. "Woman of Faces"
    Released: 6 September 2025[1]
  4. "Time Will Tell"
    Released: 11 October 2025[4]

Woman of Faces is the second studio album of British singer-songwriter Celeste, released on 14 November 2025 through Polydor Records. The album was preceded by the singles "On With The Show", "This Is Who I Am", "Woman of Faces" and "Time Will Tell".[4] "This Is Who I Am" was used as the theme for The Day of the Jackal.[2]

Background and release

Celeste's second album was initially meant to be finished by the end of 2022 and released in 2023.[5] The first single from the album was "This Is Who I Am" which was released on 7 November 2024 to co-incide with the release of The Day of the Jackal, for which it was the theme.[2] "On With The Show" was released on 20 June 2025 and Celeste announced that her second album Woman of Faces would be released in October 2025.[3] In her Pyramid Stage set at the Glastonbury Festival 2025, Celeste performed both the released singles as well as "Time Will Tell" and "Could Be Machine".[6] "Woman of Faces" was released on 6 September and "Time Will Tell" was released on 11 October.[1][4]

Celeste was critical of her record label's behaviour around Woman of Faces. On her Instagram story in October 2025, she wrote that Polydor "[had] shown very little support towards the album", had pressured her to create more content and had threatened to drop her if she did not include certain tracks on the album.[7][8] In an interview with The i Paper in November 2025, Celeste said that she had originally wanted "to make this edgy, alternative, orchestral album" and work with Robert Ames on string arrangements but had been told by her label that "no-one's gonna listen to that".[9] The arrangements commissioned from Ames went unused.[8] She said Woman of Faces "sounds to be a teeny bit more traditional than I would have wanted".[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year79/100[10]
Any Decent Music?7.8/10[11]
Metacritic78/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[13]
Clash8/10[14]
The Guardian[8]
The Independent[15]
The Skinny[16]
The Arts Desk[17]

Woman of Faces received generally positive reviews from critics.[12] Sarah Jamieson, writing in DIY, said that the album "holds little back, both lyrically and musically".[13] Alexis Petridis, writing in The Guardian, said the album was "potent and beautiful" without "sound[ing] like genre pastiche" and praised Celeste's voice.[8] Amelia Thompson, writing for Clash, commented that the album was "a full arc from despair to declaration" and described "Woman of Faces" as "the album's beating heart."[14]

Several critics noted the uniformity of some of the album's tracks. Petridis writes that the album's "near-uniform pacing and tracks make it a challenge to consume in one sitting" and that it "could have benefited from more disruptive tracks along the lines of Could Be Machine".[8] Joe Muggs, writing for The Arts Desk, said that while "[a]ny given song is great" the album left him "wondering if there couldn't have been room for just a little bit more variation here."[17] Sophia Goddard, writing for The Skinny, commented that "while a few of the songs feel somewhat repetitive, they are more than compensated for" by experimentation on other tracks.[16]

Track listing

Woman of Faces track listing[18]
No.TitleLength
1."On With The Show"2:28
2."Keep Smiling"3:17
3."Woman of Faces"4:51
4."Happening Again"4:04
5."Time Will Tell"3:44
6."People Always Change"4:50
7."Sometimes"3:03
8."Could Be Machine"3:49
9."This Is Who I Am"3:48
Total length:33:54
Deluxe edition[19]
No.TitleLength
10."Angel Like You"3:19
11."Carmen's Song"3:03
Total length:40:16

Charts

Chart performance for Woman of Faces
Chart (2025) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 47
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 12
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[23] 11

References

  1. ^ a b c Ed Jupp (6 September 2025). "NEWS: Celeste unveils new single 'Woman Of Faces' ahead of second album". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Tom Skinner (7 November 2024). "Celeste shares stirring single 'This Is Who I Am' as theme to Sky TV's 'The Day Of The Jackal'". NME. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b Megan Graye (20 June 2025). "Celeste is back with new single 'On With The Show' and unveils plans for album 'Woman Of Faces'". DIY. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Max Pilley (11 October 2025). "Listen to Celeste's empowering new single 'Time Will Tell'". NME. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  5. ^ Jason Okundaye. "'I have different weathers in my brain': how Celeste rekindled her love of music after heartbreak and loss". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 August 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  6. ^ Elle Hunt; Shaad D'Souza (29 June 2025). "Glastonbury 2025: Sunday with Rod Stewart, Olivia Rodrigo, Chic and more – follow it live!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  7. ^ Liberty Dunworth (24 October 2025). "Celeste says her record label "have shown very little support towards the album that I have made"". NME. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e Alexis Petridis (13 November 2025). "Celeste: Woman of Faces review – from chanson to prewar jazz, this timeless song cycle defies the easy sell". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 November 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b Shaun Curran (17 November 2025). "Celeste: 'Because of my label, my album is more traditional than I wanted'". The i Paper. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Woman of Faces". Album of the Year. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Celeste: Woman of Faces". Any Decent Music?. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  12. ^ a b "Woman of Faces". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  13. ^ a b Sarah Jamieson (14 November 2025). "Celeste - Woman of Faces". DIY. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  14. ^ a b Amelia Thompson (13 November 2025). "Celeste – Woman Of Faces". Clash. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  15. ^ Helen Brown (13 November 2025). "Celeste review, Woman of Faces: Raw, full-bodied declarations of selfhood". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 November 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  16. ^ a b Sophia Goddard (12 November 2025). "Celeste – Woman of Faces". The Skinny. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  17. ^ a b Joe Muggs (13 November 2025). "Celeste is a 'Woman of Faces' - but not that many". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Woman of Faces". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Woman of Faces (deluxe edition)". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Celeste – Woman of Faces" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 27/11/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 27/11/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 27/11/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
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