Natalie Mering, known as the artist Weyes Blood, recently released the single “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody”--a beautiful introduction to her upcoming album, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Mering’s last album, Titanic Rising, was the first part in a trilogy of records that she plans to release. While Titanic Rising was about the things to come, this album is about our current times and figuring out how to live when the world feels like it’s falling apart.
In a letter, Mering wrote about how this single is “a Buddhist anthem, ensconced in the interconnectivity of all beings, and the fraying of our social fabric.” With her relatable poetic lyrics and familiar chamber-pop sound, Mering responds to the isolation and emptiness that are becoming increasingly prevalent in our culture. The song begins with the familiar scene of feeling lonely at a party and wondering if anyone “really sees who I am.” Through vulnerable lyrics like “living in the wake of overwhelming changes / we’ve all become strangers / even to ourselves,” she grapples with how to tackle this sense of loneliness. She concludes that “mercy is the only / cure for being so lonely,” and like in other songs, she manages to use a joyful or peaceful sound to convey a message of alarm.
And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is set to release on November 18. While Mering doesn’t seek to provide manifestos or solutions, we can still turn to her music for an understanding of “our contemporary disillusionment.”
Ceci Mestre is an undeclared freshman in the College.
Photo Credit to Sub Pop Records