And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is the fifth studio album by American chamber pop musician Weyes Blood, released on November 18, 2022 by Sub Pop. The album is the second in a trilogy of recordings that began with the Mering's previous studio album Titanic Rising (2019), describing the sequel as a personal response "to being in the thick of it."

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
ReleasedNovember 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
StudioStudio Three at EastWest (Los Angeles, California)[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[6]

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow received critical acclaim and 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 concert tour In Holy Flux Tour in 2023.

Background and release

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.[7] The second single, "Grapevine", followed on October 11, 2022.[8] 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.[9] The third single, "God Turn Me Into a Flower", was released on November 16, 2022.[10]

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.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
DIY[4]
Evening Standard[14]
The Independent[15]
The Guardian[16]
NME[17]
Pitchfork8.4/10[18]
Uncut9/10[19]
Telegraph[20]
Under the Radar9/10[21]

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow received widespread acclaim from contemporary 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".[12] The editors of AnyDecentMusic? rated this release an 8.0 out of 10, based on 24 reviews.[22] 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."[23] 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".[17] 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.[16] 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.[15]

Year-end lists

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow on year-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Crack The Top 50 Albums of the Year 32 [24]
Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2022 37 [25]
GQ The Best Albums of 2022 Unranked [26]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2022 Ranked 2 [27]
Mojo Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2022 14 [28]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2022 24 [29]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022 37 [30]
Spin The 22 Best Albums of 2022 1 [31]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2022 23 [32]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2022 37 [33]
Our Culture The 50 Best Albums of 2022 7 [34]
The Forty Five The Best Albums of 2022 9 [35]

Track listing

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

Credits adapted from the liner notes of And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.[36]

Musicians

Technical

  • Natalie Mering – production
  • Jonathan Rado – production
  • Ben Babbitt – additional production (1, 4, 5, 9), additional vocal production (2)
  • Emily Lazarmastering
  • Chris Allgood – mastering
  • Kenny Gilmore – mixing
  • Andrew Sarlo – engineering (1–6, 8)
  • Sean Cook – additiional 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

Chart performance for And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[37] 8
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[37] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[38] 96
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[39] 76
French Albums (SNEP)[40] 145
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[41] 68
Irish Albums (IRMA)[42] 82
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] 30
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[44] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] 14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[46] 76
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 90
UK Albums (OCC)[48] 27
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[49] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[50] 2
US Billboard 200[51] 111
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[52] 18
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[53] 1
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[54] 10
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[55] 14
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[56] 19

Release history

Release dates and formats for And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various November 18, 2022 Sub Pop [57]

References

  1. Kemp, Ella (November 15, 2022). "Weyes Blood: inside one of the year's most breathtaking records". NME. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Griffin, Louis (November 16, 2022). "Album Review: Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". DIY. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  5. Grimwade, Charlotte. "Album Review: Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Gigwise. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  6. "Triple A Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. Bloom, Madison (September 12, 2022). "Weyes Blood Announces Tour and New Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  8. Breihan, Tom (October 11, 2022). "Weyes Blood – "Grapevine"". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. Talbot, Margaret (October 31, 2022). "Weyes Blood Gives Soft Rock an Apocalyptic Edge". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  10. 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.
  11. Segal, Victoria (December 2022). "Weyes Blood Reviewed!". Mojo: 82.
  12. "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  13. Thomas, Fred. "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow – Weyes Blood". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
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  20. 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.
  21. Theissin, Chris (November 16, 2022). "Weyes Blood - And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  22. "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  23. 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.
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  31. Staff, SPIN (December 22, 2022). "The 22 Best Albums of 2022". SPIN. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
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  35. "The Best Albums of 2022". the Forty Five. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  36. 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)
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