by Phil Scarisbrick

Titanic Rising was billed as the first of a trilogy of records, and was a stark recital of the impending doom that was creeping over the horizon. Its follow up, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, will be released on 18th November, once again on Sub Pop, and this time, Natalie Mering finds herself in the eye of the storm – engulfed in the condamner that she foresaw. New single, It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody, gives us our first glimpse at the Weyes Blood view of the world, and it is a stunningly vital return. 

She focuses in on the vital connections that are integral to our survival as a sentient species, while the world becomes more and more divided – as binary factions scream to be heard the loudest, while the globe lingers on the precarious precipice of oblivion. ‘Mercy is the only cure for being so lonely / Has a time ever been so revealing, that people are hurting? / Oh, it’s not just me, I guess it’s everybody’, sings Mering, over a vibrant soundtrack that is filled with euphoric crescendos and instant earworms. While the soundtrack gives the impression of joy, the underlying tone of the lyrics is one of alarm. This juxtaposition is the perfect metaphor for the words that lie within. The world is full of glee and beauty, but, wherever it lies, loneliness and sadness are not far away. Both sides pulling like a tug of war, with one side trying to keep it together while the other tries to pull it apart.

It is a first glimpse at the territory that the new record exists in, and will leave the listener in an instant state of intrigue for what else is to be discovered.

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