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Weyes Blood

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Not to be confused with Wiseblood (band) or Wise Blood (musician).
Weyes Blood
Mering performing in 2023
Mering performing in 2023
Background information
Birth nameNatalie Laura Mering
Born (1988-06-11) June 11, 1988 (age 36)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2003–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websiteweyesblood.com

Natalie Laura Mering (born June 11, 1988),[1] known professionally as Weyes Blood (pronounced /waɪzblʌd/), is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She was primarily raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has been performing her own material under variations of the name Weyes Blood since 2003.[2]

Mering's career began with her early involvement in the underground noise music scene and tenure as a member bassist of the Portland, Oregon-based experimental rock group Jackie-O Motherfucker[3] and singer for the band Satanized.[4] As Weyes Bluhd she released three self-released solo albums exploring softer pop and folk sounds before adopting the alternate moniker Weyes Blood to release The Outside Room (2011) on micro-label Not Not Fun Records. She then signed a recording contract with independent label Mexican Summer, releasing The Innocents (2014) and Front Row Seat to Earth (2016). She released her fourth studio album, Titanic Rising (2019) on Sub Pop, to critical acclaim. Her fifth studio album, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, was released on Sub Pop on November 18, 2022.

Life and career

1988–2002: Early life

Natalie Laura Mering[5] was born on June 11, 1988, in Santa Monica, California,[6] into a deeply religious born again Pentecostal Christian family.[7] Commenting on her upbringing, Mering said: "I was raised in a real spiritual, Bible Belt household. So I developed my own cynicism because there are always things in the Bible that really bum me out.... I became really obsessed with the Kids in the Hall as a kid, and they had Scott Thompson, who's like the one gay member. I remember having this feeling that 'Oh, Scott Thompson isn't going to heaven? How could that be?' That was my first big tipoff that something wasn't quite right with dogmatic Christianity. And then I was just trying to undo it at the age of 12."[8]

Mering's family moved several times throughout her childhood; she spent her early life in Scotts Valley, California[9] before they settled in Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1999, where she attended high school.[10] Both her older brothers and parents are musicians and music played an important part in her upbringing. Her father, Sumner Mering, is a musician and guitarist who was in the Los Angeles new wave band Sumner in the late 1970s.[8]

2003–2014: Career beginnings and The Innocents

Mering performing in 2010

At the age of 15, Mering began using the moniker Wise Blood (a reference to the 1952 Flannery O'Connor novel) to write songs.[11] She changed to Weyes Bluhd on several self-released records before changing the spelling to Weyes Blood.[9][12] After finishing high school, Mering relocated to Portland, Oregon to attend Lewis & Clark College, where she majored in music[13] and had a radio show on the campus radio station.[14] However, Mering dropped out after her first year of studies.[13] She subsequently began touring the underground music scene, performing as a bassist in the Portland-based band Jackie-O Motherfucker[15] and playing keyboards and singing with noise rock band Satanized.[4]

In 2011, she released her debut studio album The Outside Room as Weyes Blood and the Dark Juices on Not Not Fun Records.[16][17] Uncut magazine described the album as ''devotional and ethereal, but with an edge",[18] while Beatbots found it "an impressive and ambitious album".[19] Mering released her second studio album in October 2014 called The Innocents, which was released through Mexican Summer.[20] It was recorded in rural Pennsylvania, Mering's apartment and Gary's Electric Studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.[9] It included contributions by Jacob Brunner (drums) and James Strong (bass).[12] Mering described the theme of the album as being "about my first real relationship that went really awry."[9]

2014–2021: Front Row Seat to Earth and Titanic Rising

After the album's release, Mering relocated from New York to Los Angeles, California. She commented: "I was in New York alone: no friends, no money, no record deal at the time. Literally I had nothing."[21] In 2016, she released her third studio album Front Row Seat to Earth, on Mexican Summer to critical acclaim, and toured throughout Europe and the States.[22] NPR wrote that the album reexamines "intimacy and idealism in ways that showcase Mering's gift for measuring and mediating heady emotions."[22] Mering stated the songs on the album were largely inspired by the isolation she felt while living in New York.[21]

Mering performing in Los Angeles, 2019

On February 12, 2019, a new studio album titled Titanic Rising was announced and available to pre-order on her website, along with dates of her upcoming tour.[23] The album was released by Sub Pop on April 5, 2019 to critical acclaim.[24] Mering describes Titanic Rising as "The Kinks meet WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya."[25] Other influences include Kate Bush and Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters.[26] Titanic Rising is described as a record about romantic disappointment, damaged reality, and finding hope.[27]

The record received high placements on year-end and decade-end lists from publications such as Pitchfork, Uproxx, Paste, Uncut, Dazed, The Guardian, and NPR.[28] On July 16, 2019, she had her TV debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she performed her single "Everyday" from Titanic Rising.[29] Live performance highlights include sold-out tours in the US and Europe, as well as opening for Kacey Musgraves in the fall of 2019 and singing with Lana Del Rey at the Hollywood Bowl.[28]

Mering was heavily involved in the 2020 Tim Heidecker concept album Fear of Death, singing on all twelve tracks, co-writing two and receiving a co-producer credit.[30] She received wider attention when she featured (along with Zella Day) on the closing track of the 2021 Lana Del Rey studio album Chemtrails over the Country Club, a cover of the Joni Mitchell song "For Free".

On October 29, 2020, she helped canvass for the Democratic Socialists of America.[31]

2022–present: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Mering performing at Rockefeller, Oslo, 2023

On September 12, 2022, Mering announced her fifth studio album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow would be released 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 will embark on the In Holy Flux Tour across North America and Europe in 2023.[32] The second single, "Grapevine", followed on October 11, 2022.[33] Upon its release, the album received critical acclaim, aggregating a weighted average score of 88 on Metacritic based on 24 critic reviews.[34] Since the album's release, Mering has made a guest appearance serving coffee to Caroline Polachek in the video for her song "Welcome To My Island"[35]

She performed at Coachella 2023,[36] on the Park Stage at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival,[37] and at the 2023 Fuji Rock Festival.[38]

Musical style and influences

Mering's music has touched on a wide range of topics, including climate change.[39]

Mering's musical style has been labelled as chamber pop,[40] psychedelic folk,[41] soft rock,[42] noise[3] and experimental rock.[3]

Mering has stated that church music, which figured prominently in her upbringing, has been an influence on her songwriting.[8] "Most of the great classical music and early music of our time is written for God in a sacred space," she said. "So sacred music and sacred space music — that was my favorite thing about music. Not so much content-wise. Not so much the theory and concept of God, but just the idea that we've built this gigantic, stone cathedral palace for people to sing in...When I record, I think about sacred space and I think about what would be the sound of your soul if there is music coming out of it. It would probably be an echoey, strange chamber."[8] In an interview with Nardwuar in 2019 she revealed that she is also influenced by the Velvet Underground, Wolf Eyes, and experimental artist Inca Ore. Mering states in the same interview that early in her career while making experimental music, people likened her songs to horror film soundtracks, so she began to listen to and be influenced by film soundtracks such as Jaws (1975) and The Wizard of Oz (1939).[43]

Mering is also highly influenced by the late singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, in both singing style and songwriting.[44]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected information
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
[45] 		US
Heat
[46] 		US
Indie
[47] 		GER
[48] 		NLD
[49] 		NZ
[50] 		SCO
[51] 		UK
[52] 		UK
Indie
[53] 		UK
Amer.
[54]
The Outside Room — — — — — — — — — —
The Innocents
  • Released: October 21, 2014
  • Label: Mexican Summer
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download
 — — — — — — — — — —
Front Row Seat to Earth
  • Released: October 21, 2016
  • Label: Mexican Summer
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download
 — 23 — — — — — — —[A] —
Titanic Rising
  • Released: April 5, 2019
  • Label: Sub Pop
  • Format: LP, CD, cassette, digital download
 —[B] 3 6 — — — 20 68 7 1
And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
  • Released: November 18, 2022[58]
  • Label: Sub Pop
  • Format: LP, CD, cassette, digital download
 111 1 18 68 76 30 14 27 2 2
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected information
Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
Vinyl
[59]
Angels in America / Weyes Blood Split
  • Released: August 15, 2011
  • Label: Northern Spy
  • Format: LP, digital download
 —
Cardamom Times
  • Released: October 19, 2015
  • Label: Mexican Summer
  • Format: LP, digital download
 3
Myths 002
(alongside Ariel Pink)
  • Released: January 27, 2017
  • Label: Mexican Summer
  • Format: LP, digital download
 —
Rough Trade Session
  • Released: October 22, 2019
  • Label: Sub Pop
  • Format: LP, digital download
 23
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
AAA
[60]
"Some Winters" 2014 — The Innocents
"Cardamom" 2015 — Cardamom Times
"Seven Words" 2016 — Front Row Seat to Earth
"Do You Need My Love" —
"Generation Why" —
"Serpent Society" —
"Tears on Fire"
(with Ariel Pink) 		2017 — Myths 002
"A Certain Kind"/"Everybody's Talkin'" — A Certain Kind b/w Everybody's Talkin'
"Andromeda" 2019 — Titanic Rising
"Everyday" —
"Movies" —
"Oh How We Drift Away"
(with Tim Heidecker) 		2020 — Fear of Death
"Titanic Risen" 2021 — Titanic Rising
"It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" 2022 — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
"Grapevine" 32
"God Turn Me into a Flower" —
"Children of the Empire"[61] 2023 38
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not issued in that region.

Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and directors
Title Year Director(s) Ref.
"Candy Boy" 2010 Unknown
"Some Winters" 2014 Winston H Case
"Bad Magic" 2015 Joey Frank
"In the Beginning" Kai Davey-Bellin and Laura-Lynn Petrick
"Seven Words" 2016 Charlotte Linden Ercoli Coe
"Do You Need My Love?" Natalie Mering
"Serpent Society"
"Used to Be" Laura-Lynn Petrick
"Tears on Fire" (with Ariel Pink) 2017 Charlotte Linden Ercoli Coe
"Everyday" 2019 Natalie Mering
"Movies"
"Wild Time" 2020 [62]
"It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" 2022 Charlotte Ercoli [63]
"Grapevine" Rick Farin
Claire Farin 		[64]
"Hearts Aglow" 2023 Neelam Khan Vela [65]
"Twin Flame" Ambar Navarro [66]

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Jesse's Party" 2008 Raw Thrills Together Again
"I Lost Something in the Hills" Drugs
"Where" 2011 So Post
"One Side Art" 2013 Essential Thrills
"Early Birds of Babylon" 2012 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Mature Themes[10]
"The Chat" 2015 Mild High Club Timeline[67][68]
"Suddenly" 2017 Drugdealer The End of Comedy[69]
"The End of Comedy"
"Sides" Perfume Genius No Shape
"Friend of Lindy Morrison" Kirin J. Callinan Bravado
"Runnin' Outta Luck" Alex Cameron Forced Witness
"Politics of Love"
"Blessed Be the Meek (Let Me Be)" 2018 Raw Thrills Mondo Combo
"God's Favorite Customer" Father John Misty God's Favorite Customer
"Grey Area" Jerry Paper Like a Baby
"Honey" 2019 Drugdealer Raw Honey
"Fear of Death" (and entire album) 2020 Tim Heidecker Fear of Death
"My God" The Killers Imploding the Mirage
"Holocene" 2021 Zella Day
"For Free" (Joni Mitchell cover) Lana Del Rey and Zella Day Chemtrails over the Country Club
"Story of Blood" 2022 John Cale Mercy[70]

Tours

Headlining

Something to Believe Tour (2019)

In Holy Flux Tour (2022-2023)

Supporting

Pure Comedy Tour (2017) - Father John Misty

Summer Odyssey Tour (2023) - Beck and Phoenix

Awards and nominations

Year Organisation Award Work Result Ref.
2020 Libera Awards Best Indie Rock Album Titanic Rising Won [71]
2023 Best Singer-Songwriter Album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow Won [72]

Notes

  1. ^ Front Row Seat to Earth did not enter the UK Independent Albums Chart but peaked at number 14 on the UK Independent Album Breakers chart.[56]
  2. ^ Titanic Rising did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at number 34 on the Top Album Sales chart.[57]

References

  1. ^ "Natalie Laura Mering". Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  2. ^ "13:10 "So you started about 10 years ago?..." "...fifteen!" "...as Weyes Blood?" "Yup." "Queen."". Omny.fm. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Artist Biography by Fred Thomas". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "20:32 "I was the singer of a band called Satanized and it was a weird, mathy metal band..."". Nardwuar.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Reisman, Will (August 1, 2019). "Weyes Blood's Natalie Laura Mering Sounds the Alarm on Climate Change". SF Weekly. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  6. ^ Wagoner, Mackenzie (March 31, 2017). "This California Singer Has an Essential Oil Fix for Every Skin Issue". Vogue. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Hardee, Howard (September 20, 2017). "Weyes Blood's Grand Chamber Pop Was Inspired by Church, Smurfs and a Breakup". Riverfront Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d Horn, John (October 20, 2016). "Natalie Mering taps into Christian roots on Weyes Blood's latest album". The Frame. KPCC. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d Comingore, Aly (October 21, 2014). "An Older, Wiser Weyes Blood". Interview. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Dominguez, Mary Lynn (January 10, 2015). "THERE WILL BE BLOOD: Q&A w/ Natalie Mering". Phawker.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  11. ^ "Good Letters". Image Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Weyes Blood - The Innocents". Discogs. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  13. ^ a b White, Caitlin (October 24, 2017). "The Ascent Of Weyes Blood's Mystic Pop". Uproxx. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  14. ^ Williams, Maxwell (January 13, 2017). "Pop Music for an Uncertain Future :: A Conversation with Weyes Blood". The Hundreds. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017.
  15. ^ Lovitt, Bryn (October 12, 2015). ""The New Avant Garde Is Being Conservative": An Interview with Weyes Blood". Vice. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "Weyes Blood And The Dark Juices* - The Outside Room". The Outside Room. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "Weyes Blood & The Dark Juices – The Outside Room". Skinnywolves.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  18. ^ Mulvey, John (May 31, 2011). "Weyes Blood & The Dark Juices: "The Outside Room" - Uncut". Uncut. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  19. ^ Kabara, Tim (June 27, 2011). "Beatbots Audio Reviews : Weyes Blood and the Dark Juices - The Outside Room". Beatbots.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  20. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (October 28, 2014). "Weyes Blood: The Innocents Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  21. ^ a b "About a Band: Weyes Blood". Urban Outfitters. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Review: Weyes Blood, 'Front Row Seat To Earth'". National Public Radio. October 13, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  23. ^ Yoo, Noah (February 12, 2019). "Weyes Blood Announces New Album Titanic Rising, Shares New Song "Everyday": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  24. ^ "Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood". Metacritic. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  25. ^ "Weyes Blood Announces New North American and European "Something to Believe" Tour Dates". Under the Radar magazine.
  26. ^ "'Enya is up there with the Beatles'". Irish Times.
  27. ^ "Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising album review". Uncut.
  28. ^ a b "Weyes Blood - Sub Pop". Sub Pop.
  29. ^ "Everyday live from Late Night with Seth Meyers". Youtube.
  30. ^ "Fear of Death, by Tim Heidecker". Timheidecker.bandcamp.com.
  31. ^ @DemSocialists (October 29, 2020). "TONIGHT: California DSA is proud to present a special Phonebank Halloween Show with @sarahsquirm and some VERY special guests this Thursday 10/29/20 at 8:30pm PST/11:30pm ET!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Bloom, Madison (September 12, 2022). "Weyes Blood Announces Tour and New Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  33. ^ Breihan, Tom (October 11, 2022). "Weyes Blood – "Grapevine"". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  34. ^ And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood, retrieved January 16, 2023
  35. ^ Jacob, Lola. "Watch: Caroline Polachek's music video for 'Welcome To My Island'- December 13, 2022". coupdemainmagazine.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  36. ^ Larsen, Peter (April 16, 2023). "Coachella 2023: Noname, Porter Robinson, Weyes Blood fire up Day 3". pressenterprise.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  37. ^ Harrison, Ian (June 27, 2023). "Queens Of The Stone Age, Weyes Blood And More At Glastonbury 2023, Reviewed". Mojo. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  38. ^ Ng, Scott (April 10, 2023). "Fuji Rock Festival adds Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar and more to 2023 line-up". NME. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  39. ^ Woods, Cat (November 18, 2022). "Weyes Blood is the voice of her generation, Nickelback sound heinous – the week's albums". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  40. ^ Golsen, Tyler (April 6, 2021). "Weyes Blood release new song 'Titanic Risen'". Far Out. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  41. ^ Albertson, Jasmine. "Weyes Blood Unveils Twangy New Single "Andromeda"". KEXP. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  42. ^ Thomaston, Lindsay. "Weyes Blood Shares Self-Directed Video for New Single "Movies"". Paste. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  43. ^ Nardwuar vs. Weyes Blood, retrieved October 20, 2019
  44. ^ "Weyes Blood on Stunning New LP, the Titanic Sinking and Climate Change". Rolling Stone. June 14, 2019.
  45. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  46. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  47. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  48. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts: Weyes Blood" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  49. ^ "Discografie Weyes Blood". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  50. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  51. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  52. ^ "Weyes Blood". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  53. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  54. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  55. ^ "The Outside Room by Weyes Blood on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. May 10, 2011. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  56. ^ "Official Independent Album Breakers Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  57. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  58. ^ Horn, Olivia (September 8, 2022). "75 Pop and Jazz Albums, Shows and Festivals Coming This Fall". New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  59. ^ Peak positions in United Kingdom Vinyl chart:
  60. ^ "Weyes Blood (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  61. ^ "Triple A Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  62. ^ Roberts, Christopher (May 20, 2022). "Weyes Blood Shares Self-Directed Video for "Wild Time"". Under the Radar. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  63. ^ Pearis, Bill (September 28, 2022). "Watch Weyes Blood's demented "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" video". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  64. ^ "Weyes Blood - Grapevine (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  65. ^ "Weyes Blood - Hearts Aglow (Official Video)". Youtube. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  66. ^ "Weyes Blood - Twin Flame (Official Video)". Youtube. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  67. ^ Beauchemin, Molly (September 11, 2015). "Mild High Club Teams With Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood on "The Chat"". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  68. ^ Tully Claymore, Gabriela (September 11, 2015). "Mild High Club – "The Chat" (Feat. Ariel Pink & Weyes Blood) Video". Stereogum. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  69. ^ "Drugdealer – The End of Comedy | Weird World". Weirdworldrecordco.com. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  70. ^ "John Cale - Official Website". John Cale. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  71. ^ Brandle, Lars (April 4, 2020). "Chance the Rapper, FKA Twigs, Courtney Barnett & More Shortlisted For 2020 A2IM Libera Awards". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  72. ^ Aswad, Jem (March 22, 2023). "Wet Leg Leads Nominations for A2IM's Indie Libera Awards". Retrieved March 24, 2023.
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