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
Studio album by Weyes Blood
Released	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
Studio	Studio Three at EastWest (Los Angeles, California)^[1]
Genre	Chamber pop^[2] indie pop^[3] folk rock^[4] soft rock^[5]
Length	46:22
Label	Sub Pop
Producer	Ben Babbitt Jonathan Rado Natalie Mering Rodaidh McDonald
Weyes Blood chronology
Titanic Rising (2019) And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (2022)
Singles from And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
"It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" Released: September 12, 2022 "Grapevine" Released: October 11, 2022 "God Turn Me Into a Flower" Released: November 16, 2022 "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

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
Source	Rating
Metacritic	87/100^[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[13]
DIY	^[4]
Evening Standard	^[14]
The Independent	^[15]
The Guardian	^[16]
NME	^[17]
Pitchfork	8.4/10^[18]
Uncut	9/10^[19]
Telegraph	^[20]
Under the Radar	9/10^[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.	Title	Arranger(s)	Length
1.	"It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody"	Ben Babbitt Drew Erickson	6:16
2.	"Children of the Empire"	Erickson	6:03
3.	"Grapevine"	Erickson	5:25
4.	"God Turn Me Into a Flower"	Babbitt	6:25
5.	"Hearts Aglow"	Erickson	5:49
6.	"And in the Darkness"	Babbitt	0:14
7.	"Twin Flame"		4:22
8.	"In Holy Flux"		1:47
9.	"The Worst Is Done"	Babbitt	6:00
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

• Natalie Mering – piano (1, 10), vocals (1–5, 7–10), synthesiser (2, 4, 9, 10), guitar (3, 9), organ (4, 7), musician (8)
• Kenny Gilmore – bass (1–3)
• Logan Hone – flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone (1)
• Mary Lattimore – harp (1–3, 5)
• Joey Waronker – drums (1, 9)
• Ben Babbitt – wind arrangement (1), vocal arrangement (2, 5, 9), backing vocals (2–5, 9), cello arrangement (4)
• Drew Erickson – string arrangement (1–3, 5, 6), horn arrangement (2), organ (2, 3, 5)
• Michael D'Addario – drums (2, 3, 5)
• Brian D'Addario – guitar (2, 3), Wurlitzer (5)
• Andy Martin – vocals, piano, trombone (2, 3)
• Jonathan Rado – synthesiser (2, 3, 9), electronics (2), bass, tubular bells (3, 5), drum machine, guitar (7), musician (8)
• Michael Chadwick – synthesiser (3), harpsichord (5)
• Andres Renteria – shaker (3, 5)
• Cornella Babbitt – cello (4)
• Charlie Bisharat – electric violin (4)
• Daniel Lopatin – synthesiser (4)
• Meg Duffy – guitar (5)
• Sean Cook – cowbell (9)
• Sebastian Steinberg – bass (9)
• The Nona Strings Quartet (1–3, 5, 6):
  • Jacob Braun – cello
  • Andrew Bulbrook – 1st violin
  • Zach Dellinger – viola
  • Wynton Grant – 2nd violin
• Blake Cooper – tuba (2, 3)
• Dan Fornero – trumpet (2, 3)

Technical

• Natalie Mering – production
• Jonathan Rado – production
• Ben Babbitt – additional production (1, 4, 5, 9), additional vocal production (2)
• Emily Lazar – mastering
• 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	Cassette CD digital download LP streaming	Sub Pop	^[57]

References

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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.
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External links

• And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow at Discogs (list of releases)