And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is Weyes Blood’s fifth album, released on November 18, 2022. As Weyes Blood, Natalie Mering creates an enchanting album that emerges from the shadows of the pandemic. Listening to the album feels like a spell that has taken us into the world of dim dances and affection aglow.

In a letter released with the announcement of the record, Mering reveals that the album is the sequel in a trilogy that Titanic Rising (2019) started. While the first reflects on “the feelings of impending doom,” the second “is about entering the next phase, the one in which we all find ourselves today.” 

Mering poetically writes about the disconnect and instability of the last few years due to insufficient connections made through technology. She describes “our pain, an ironic joke born from a gridlocked panopticon of our own making,” as “swirling on into infinity.”

The first single, “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody,” deals with feeling lonely and disconnected from others. In the striking line, “Living in the wake of overwhelming changes, we’ve all become strangers, even to ourselves,” Mering puts the vague feeling that something’s wrong into words: we’ve spent so much time without meaningful interaction that we’ve not only lost touch with others, but with ourselves.

The second single, and my personal favorite, “Grapevine,” describes the thread that ties us to our past experiences. In the soaring bridge, Mering sings, “Now we’re just two cars passing by on the grapevine.” We carry around our past, and significant events can eventually become a knot on our own grapevine.

In “Oh God, Turn Me Into a Flower,” Mering relates the story of Narcissus to our desire for connection. Rather than being obsessed with our own image, like the greek god, we instead look to our reflection as someone who understands us. As flowers, we move with the wind and with others, thus achieving the connection we yearn for.

The title track “Hearts Aglow” yet again describes a yearning for connection, but also love. The soft arpeggios evoke a certain warm luminosity, displayed in the album’s cover art. The song feels nostalgic, like a fuzzy photograph. The setting of a ferris wheel near the beach is reminiscent of Lana Del Rey’s whimsical song lyrics. 

In the bridge, Mering sings, “I’m scared I might fall just like the water below. You don’t get to know if your love has all it’s gonna take.” We have become so lost that it’s difficult to trust and feel certain in love.

In her letter, Mering explains her inspiration behind the particular imagery for this record: “I see the heart as a guide, with an emanation of hope, shining through in this dark age.” I’m not sure how to recover and reflect on these past years, but perhaps we’ll know when Mering completes the album trilogy. For now, I’m content with rambling through the dream-like yet nightmarish depths of And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. 

Rating: 10/10

Favorite: Grapevine

Would recommend: It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody