3 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 3 album covers documented under the "self portrait" design theme, spanning the 1990s, 2000s, 2020s. These covers sit within the alternative, indie, folk, electronic tradition and feature work by Neko Case, Fiona Apple, Aphex Twin. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.
Neko Case shot this haunting self-portrait in her own bathroom, creating one of indie rock's most striking covers with just natural light and a vintage Polaroid camera. The intimate DIY approach perfectly captured the album's themes of vulnerability and transformation.
Fiona Apple shot this intimate cover herself in her Venice Beach home during lockdown, creating a raw self-portrait that mirrors the album's themes of breaking free from constraints.
An oil painting of Richard D. James's face in classical portraiture style — his broad, slightly sinister grin rendered with Old Master technique — satirizes fine art conventions while establishing the Aphex Twin's unsettling grin as a recurring visual motif.