Natalie Mering, the iridescent voice of Weyes Blood, has released the final single from her new album, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, before its release on Friday (Nov. 18). “God Turn Me Into A Flower” is a ballad where Mering’s crystalline voice feels achingly close.
Mering’s instrument is framed by the dreamy synthesizers of Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin, and occasionally punctuated by strings and chimes. But nothing else rivals the magnitude and luster of Mering’s voice. She oscillates between holy soprano and a deeper, tormented howl: “You shatter easily,” she sings in this register, “and can’t pick up all those shards. It’s the curse of losing yourself/ When the mirror takes you too far.”
Mering, 34, is from Santa Monica, Calif., but grew up in in Doylestown, Pa., where she was raised in the church and found herself drawn to hymns, choral, and classical pieces. The musical influence of the church, not so much the religion, is abundantly clear on songs like “God Turn Me Into A Flower.””Most of the great classical music and early music of our time is written for God in a sacred space,” Mering has said in the past. “So sacred music and sacred space music — that was my favorite thing about music.”
Weyes Blood will play four warm-up shows in California next month before beginning a world tour on Jan. 28 in Berlin. Dates are on the books through April 2 in Tulsa, Okla. Tickets are available on Weyes Blood‘s website.
