All clothing by ADEAM. Neckband, stylist’s own.
- By
- Ashley Simpson
- Photography by
- Jai Odell
Styling by Akari Endo-Gaut at Frank Reps. Hair by Braydon Nelson at Julian Watson Agency. Makeup by Deanna Melluso at The Wall Group. Photographer’s assistants: Kiri Wawatai and Fletcher Anstis. Hairstylist’s assistant: Yukie Nammori.
WEYES BLOOD
Talking to Natalie Mering, the Ariel Pink collaborator and musician behind Weyes Blood, you get the sense that she rarely stands still. “I’m a wanderer at heart and a minstrel, so it feels very natural to go from one place to the next,” says the artist over the phone from Paris, minutes before sound check. “Being at home is kind of oppressive and crazy because the whole entire world is at my fingertips, plus all of these built-up responsibilities that I haven’t taken care of. Every day, there are a million things to do and I end up doing barely any of them, but on tour it’s very simple, a simple lifestyle.”
Mering—who was born in California, moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, when she was ten and her family became passionately religious, and has spent the past few years between Los Angeles, New York, Kentucky (tapping maple trees), New Mexico (studying herbs), and Baltimore—is, fittingly, currently on tour. She’s played music since she was a little kid (“My first impulse was to create something out of it and not play someone else’s work”) and over time on the road has managed to record several albums (and an EP with Ariel Pink in Texas), the most recent of which, last year’s From Row Seat to Earth (Mexican Summer), brought her to a new level of attention.
She’s playing songs from From Row Seat to Earth in New York (last night), Paris, London, Dublin, and more this spring. The album is full of dark, languorous, Joan Baez-reminiscent folk that touches on Celtic and mystical influences. There’s a depth to it—an almost sacred quality—and a sense of intimacy that transcends current trends in music.
“They’re break-up songs,” explains Mering. “[Song about] chasing passion. And I guess the one that’s kind of about New York is ‘Can’t Go Home,’ because I never lived in any one place for very long, but when I was in New York I was constantly moving, constantly dealing with people, and constantly living under the radar, not being able to afford anything.”
“I was really struggling,” she continues. “Constantly moving to sketchy situations and looking for work, having a home, but not really having one. You can’t go home.”
This rawness, and the sense of vulnerability it underlies, is at the core of Mering’s often-psychedelic, deeply serious music. It sets this album apart—Mering manages to address very modern concerns (“It’s about redevelopments within our culture, kind of how iPhone’s were created by Steve Jobs to emotionally manipulate people,” she says. “He wanted to create something that someone would want to bring in their bed, you know?”) with a real human sensitivity.
The sound of Weyes Blood calls to mind another era—Karen Carpenter, Nico, and Enya come to mind. Mering says film soundtracks are also a key influence. “Kind of like epic ones: Gone With the Wind, Star Wars, and also old Alfred Hitchcock movies,” she relates. “The sounds of suspense, the sounds of dream sequences: Mysterious soundtrack music is always intriguing to me.”
“The biggest message [in my music] is people shouldn’t operate in fear,” muses Mering, who will return to “apocalyptic, ruthless” Los Angeles to record her next album after this tour cycle. “We’ve got to see the bigger picture, even if it’s like a terrifyingly huge picture that we’re temporal beings and we’re not necessarily meant to be here forever. Once you learn to have that thought with a big grin on your face—it’s a part of the big cosmic joke.”
Front Row Seat to Earth is out now. Weyes Blood performs April 13 at The Dome, 2A Dartmouth Park Hill, London.
- By
- Ashley Simpson
- Photography by
- Jai Odell
Styling by Akari Endo-Gaut at Frank Reps. Hair by Braydon Nelson at Julian Watson Agency. Makeup by Deanna Melluso at The Wall Group. Photographer’s assistants: Kiri Wawatai and Fletcher Anstis. Hairstylist’s assistant: Yukie Nammori.
