Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Natalie Mering’s first record in three years as Weyes Blood can be summed up perfectly by opening track ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody’. The cumbersome album title ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’ belies its backdrop too – Natalie is interested in a communal response to a universal trauma. There’s no prizes for guessing what she’s referring to, but the way in which she addresses it is fascinating. She takes an abstract view, focusing on the idea of each of us as a beacon in the darkness, speaking out into the void without knowing if there’ll be an echo. The music is the same gorgeous blend of folk-rock in the vein of Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks as on previous albums, and indeed, many of the song titles, such as ‘Children of the Empire’, feel lifted from the dusty cover of a forgotten LP of ballads. Ultimately, Natalie reaches a joyous conclusion – it’s love that matters, after everything else falls away. The album ends on two words that sum up her philosophy: “love everlasting”. It may be dark, but Weyes Blood is still aglow.