“When there’s friction in the world, it’s in that state that songs come out. The art of music is to take things that feel meaningless or hopeless and make them transcend that and become a universal experience, rather than a passing, ticking moment that slips away so quickly. You have to find the infinity in every moment.”
–Weyes Blood, episode 350 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Singer-songwriter Weyes Blood is one of the most inventive musicians working today. One year ago, she released her prescient album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.
On the heels of her whirlwind tour (4:00), she joins us this week to talk about her post-pandemic anthem “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” (10:04), her religious upbringing (13:22), the formative punk shows she attended as a teenager (20:17), and the influence of artists like Nico and Sonic Youth (25:18).
On the back-half, Natalie reflects on her nomadic young adulthood (31:00), how she forged her path in the music industry (33:42), the apocalyptic feelings embedded in her album Titanic Rising (42:29), the inspiration of director Stanley Kubrick (49:32), and why she still holds onto hope through these turbulent times (57:50).
-
-
Show-notes:
- Listen to Weyes Blood’s album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.
- Watch her official video for “God Turn Me Into a Flower,” directed by Adam Curtis.
- Find her upcoming tour dates on her website.
- Hear her previous work on Titanic Rising.
- Follow Weyes Blood on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- For more, listen to our talks with musicians David Byrne, Este Haim, Ludwig Göransson, Questlove, Lorde, and Sleater-Kinney.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi.
Subscribe, rate, and review: Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
-