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And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

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And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
A picture of Weyes Blood in a white dress looking sideways against a dark blue background. A red light shines on the singer's chest, while blue lighting is shining against her hair.
Studio album by
Weyes Blood
ReleasedNovember 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
StudioStudio Three at EastWest (Los Angeles)[1]
Genre
Length46:22
LabelSub Pop
Producer
Weyes Blood chronology
Titanic Rising
(2019) 		And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
(2022)
Singles from And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
  1. "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody"
    Released: September 12, 2022
  2. "Grapevine"
    Released: October 11, 2022
  3. "God Turn Me into a Flower"
    Released: November 16, 2022
  4. "Children of the Empire"
    Released: April 10, 2023

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician Weyes Blood, released on November 18, 2022 by Sub Pop. The album is the second in a trilogy of recordings that began with Mering's previous studio album Titanic Rising (2019), describing the sequel as a personal response "to being in the thick of it." A record with a chamber pop, indie pop, and folk rock sound, it was entirely produced by the singer and Jonathan Rado, with additional production by Ben Babbitt and Rodaidh McDonald.

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow received critical acclaim and earned the singer her first appearance on the U.S. Billboard 200. It reached the top 40 in New Zealand, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. The album was supported by four singles: "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody", "Grapevine", "God Turn Me into a Flower", and "Children of the Empire". To promote the album, Weyes Blood embarked on the In Holy Flux Tour in 2023.

Background and release

[edit]
Weyes Blood singing in Seattle in 2023.

On September 12, 2022, Natalie Mering officially announced her fifth studio album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow set for release on November 18, 2022, and released its lead single "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" the same day. In promotion of the album, she embarked on the In Holy Flux Tour across North America and Europe in 2023.[2] The second single, "Grapevine", followed on October 11, 2022.[3] The song, which takes its title from a stretch of California highway known as "the Grapevine", is inspired by Mering's breakup with a "narcissistic" musician during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The third single, "God Turn Me into a Flower", was released on November 16, 2022.[5]

The album is the second entry into a trilogy of studio albums following 2019's Titanic Rising. According to Mering, Titanic Rising is an "observation, sounding the alarms that shit is going to go down" while And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is "my personal response to being in the thick of it".[1] Mering's original concept for the artwork was to give the light inside her chest a "more alien" look.[6]

Composition

[edit]

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow predominantly comprises a chamber pop,[7] indie pop,[8] and folk rock sound.[9]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[10]
Metacritic87/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
DIY[9]
Evening Standard[13]
The Independent[14]
The Guardian[15]
NME[16]
Pitchfork8.4/10[17]
Uncut9/10[18]
Telegraph[19]
Under the Radar9/10[20]

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 87 based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] The editors of AnyDecentMusic? rated this release an 8.0 out of 10, based on 24 reviews.[10]

The Wall Street Journal's Mark Richardson compared the album to Titanic Rising, Mering's previous studio album, saying it "easily matches its acclaimed predecessor in quality and scope."[21] A five star review for NME praised the album direction and themes, saying "Mering's own vision of the end of the world is intricately woven and rich with melody" while also recognizing that "Mering's apparent take on heartbreak seems to be quietly optimistic".[16] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian commended the album's complexity and musical experimentation, noting its musical inspirations such as Brian Wilson-esque arrangements and Karen Carpenter's vocal intonations.[15] Similarly, a four star review by Helen Brown in The Independent noted a "a good range of textures across the 10 tracks" on the album.[14]

The Daily Telegraph lauded the artist's compositions, saying that they "have leaned into glorious baroque madrigals, tenderly layering melodies and harmonies as if she were adorning a human body with pearls, coats and scarves".[19] Writing for AllMusic, Fred Thomas highlighted the song "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" as a standout, and described the album as a "another step forward" for Mering, "building on the stunning sonic and emotional environments she tailored" on her previous albums.[12]

Year-end lists

[edit]
And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow on year-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Crack The Top 50 Albums of the Year 32 [22]
Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2022 37 [23]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2022 Ranked 2 [24]
Mojo Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2022 14 [25]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2022 24 [26]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022 37 [27]
Spin The 22 Best Albums of 2022 1 [28]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2022 23 [29]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2022 37 [30]
Our Culture The 50 Best Albums of 2022 7 [31]

Commercial performance

[edit]

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow became Weyes Blood's first album to enter the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, debuting and peaking at number 111; it charted for only one week.[32] Also in the United States, the album topped the Heatseekers Albums chart,[33] and peaked within the top ten on the Top Alternative Albums chart.[34] In the United Kingdom, it reached the position 27; it marked her second appearance on the UK Albums Chart, following Titanic Rising in 2019.[35] Additionally, the record reached the top 40 in New Zealand[36] and Scotland,[37] and the top 100 in other seven countries, including Germany,[38] Ireland,[39] Portugal,[40] and Spain.[41]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Natalie Mering

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow track listing
No.TitleArranger(s)Length
1."It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody"
6:16
2."Children of the Empire"Erickson6:03
3."Grapevine"Erickson5:25
4."God Turn Me into a Flower"Babbitt6:25
5."Hearts Aglow"Erickson5:49
6."And in the Darkness"Babbitt0:14
7."Twin Flame" 4:22
8."In Holy Flux" 1:47
9."The Worst Is Done"Babbitt6:00
10."A Given Thing" 4:01
Total length:46:22

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.[42]

Musicians

Technical

  • Natalie Mering – production
  • Jonathan Rado – production
  • Ben Babbitt – additional production (1, 4, 5, 9), additional vocal production (2)
  • Emily Lazar – mastering
  • Chris Allgood – mastering
  • Kenny Gilmore – mixing
  • Andrew Sarlo – engineering (1–6, 8)
  • Sean Cook – additional engineering (1–3, 5), engineering (4, 7, 9)
  • Chad Gordon – additional engineering (1–6, 8), string engineering (1–3, 5, 6)
  • Rias Reed – additional engineering (1–6, 8), string engineering (1–3, 5, 6)
  • Jacob Kell – string engineering assistance (1–3, 5, 6)
  • Sarah Tudzin – additional engineering (4, 9)
  • Peter Labberton – engineering (10)

Artwork

  • Elijah Funk – design, cover art concept
  • Dusty Summers – design
  • Neil Krug – photography, cover art concept
  • Natalie Mering – cover art concept

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[43] 8
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[43] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[44] 96
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[45] 76
French Albums (SNEP)[46] 145
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 68
Irish Albums (IRMA)[39] 82
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] 30
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[40] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] 14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[41] 76
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 90
UK Albums (OCC)[35] 27
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[48] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[49] 2
US Billboard 200[32] 111
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[50] 18
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[51] 1
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[34] 10
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[52] 14
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[53] 19

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various November 18, 2022
Sub Pop [54]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Kemp, Ella (November 15, 2022). "Weyes Blood: inside one of the year's most breathtaking records". NME. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Bloom, Madison (September 12, 2022). "Weyes Blood Announces Tour and New Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (October 11, 2022). "Weyes Blood – "Grapevine"". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Talbot, Margaret (October 31, 2022). "Weyes Blood Gives Soft Rock an Apocalyptic Edge". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Keneally, Cerys (November 16, 2022). "Weyes Blood previews new album with third single "God Turn Me Into a Flower"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Segal, Victoria (December 2022). "Weyes Blood Reviewed!". Mojo: 82.
  7. ^ Alex, Swhear (November 19, 2022). "Weyes Blood Brings Patience and Confidence to Pandemic Reverberations in 'And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Richardson, Mark (November 14, 2022). "'And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow' by Weyes Blood review: the sweeping sound of ambition". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Griffin, Louis (November 16, 2022). "Album Review: Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". DIY. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow – Weyes Blood". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Smyth, David (November 17, 2022). "Weyes Blood: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow album review - if this is doom, sign me up". Evening Standard. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Brown, Helen (November 17, 2022). "Weyes Blood review – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow: A beguiling blend of nostalgia and optimism". The Independent. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (November 17, 2022). "Weyes Blood: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow review – gloom becomes a thing of beauty". The Guardian. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Hunt, El (November 16, 2022). "Weyes Blood – 'And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow' review: quiet optimism in the present-day apocalypse". NME. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  17. ^ Cush, Andy (November 18, 2022). "Weyes Blood And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  18. ^ Mackay, Emily (December 2022). "Weyes Blood: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Uncut: 36.
  19. ^ a b Woods, Cat; Johnston, Kathleen; Hall, James; Thomas, Jen; Harrison, Emma; Hobbs, Thomas; Shutler, Ali (November 18, 2022). "Weyes Blood is the voice of her generation, Nickelback sound heinous – the week's albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  20. ^ Theissin, Chris (November 16, 2022). "Weyes Blood - And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  21. ^ Richardson, Mark (November 14, 2022). "'And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow' by Weyes Blood Review: The Sweeping Sound of Ambition". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  22. ^ Abiade, Yemi. "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  23. ^ "Top 50 Album of 2022". Consequence. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  24. ^ "The Best Albums of 2022 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Pearis, Bill (November 15, 2022). "Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2022". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  26. ^ "The Best Albums of 2022". Paste. November 28, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  28. ^ Staff, SPIN (December 22, 2022). "The 22 Best Albums of 2022". SPIN. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  29. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Stereogum. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  30. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". NME. December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  31. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Our Culture. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  32. ^ a b "Weyes Blood Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  33. ^ Eggertsen, Chris (March 19, 2024). "Signed: Nelly Pacts With WME, Nightwish Re-Ups With Nuclear Blast". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Weyes Blood Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Charts.nz – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  38. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  39. ^ a b "Irish-charts.com – Discography Weyes Blood". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Portuguesecharts.com – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  41. ^ a b "Spanishcharts.com – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  42. ^ And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (liner notes). Weyes Blood. Sub Pop. 2022. SP1485.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 28 November 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1708. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 28, 2022. pp. 10, 24.
  44. ^ "Ultratop.be – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  45. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  46. ^ "Lescharts.com – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  47. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  48. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  49. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  50. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  51. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  52. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  53. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Top Rock & Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  54. ^ Weyes Blood (November 18, 2022). "And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Bandcamp. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
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