Long ago, the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope bore a child ordained with the name of Narcissus. Narcissus grew into a beautiful young man who many sought the affections of, but he could never reciprocate the feelings of his admirers. The only love Narcissus ever felt was the intense fixation with his own reflection in a pool of water. This self obsession would spark a downward spiral. Because of his delusions, Narcissus lost his beauty and his life. In the spots where his blood ran near the pool of water he resided by, flowers bloomed as a constant reminder of his fleeting obsession with beauty.

Many interpretations of the Greek myth have been passed down through generations. One modern re-telling is by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merring, known professionally as Weyes Blood (pronounced “wize”), in her song titled “God, Turn Me Into a Flower” off of her 2022 album “And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.” The song is a euphoric meditation on the deeper truths we seek in the pursuit of true beauty. It is a condemnation of the superficial, choosing instead to shatter the mirror and look past mere reflections to something more real inside of oneself.

Natalie Merring is a California native who has been cutting her teeth in the music industry for the past two decades. She adopted her stage name from her favorite book by Flannery O’Connel titled “Wise Blood” and has been recording and releasing music since graduating high school early at 16. Merring moved around constantly in her youth, her path intertwining with the underground music scene of Oregon where she played in experimental noise rock groups Jackie-O Motherf*cker and Sanitized. She would soon shed her edgy exterior as she made the pilgrimage back to her home state.

Under the name “Wize Blud and the Dark Juices” she released her first studio album titled “The Outside Room” in 2011 that would transform her noise rock roots into a more ambient, chamber pop driven sound. Although it didn’t make a huge splash commercially, critics praised the album for its spacious, esoteric atmosphere that alluded to a more sinister energy beneath the surface. Three years later, now under Weyes Blood, her sophomore album “The Innocents” further displayed Merring’s prowess for experimentation. Taking inspiration from celtic folk music and blending it with her electronic sensibilities, “The Innocents” is a sprawling record that feels ripped from the writings of medieval troubadours. Her slow rise continued to her third studio album in 2016 “Front Row Seat to Earth,” where the production style took inspiration from ‘50s crooners like Frank Sinatra, adding in lush orchestral passages and a greater emphasis on piano. This would all culminate in her groundbreaking 2019 LP “Titanic Rising.” The record is an homage to ‘70s Laurel Canyon sunshine pop, but beneath its cleanly exterior is Merring’s cynical musings on modern living that manages to maintain hope in its darker moments.

Following Weyes Blood’s steady rise in mainstream acclaim, many seem to focus on the sonic landscapes Merring constructs while not appreciating other aspects of her style and branding. But with her most recent album “Hearts Aglow,” the full extent of of her artistic vision is on display. With razor sharp lyricism Weyes Blood is able to discuss universal topics like love, heartbreak and isolation with prose that stokes the emotional flames to soaring heights. Merring is somewhat of a cinephile, proclaiming her love for the silver screen in the song aptly named “Movies,” and referencing pulp-SciFi films of early Hollywood in the music video for her smash hit “Andromeda.” Merring’s liking towards literature is ever present: her stage name is a reference to a novel, and in her online merch store there’s a shirt that references Gulliver’s Travels with an enlarged Merring being pinned down by miniature soldiers. All of this artistic inspiration combined with a keen sense of vintage aesthetics gives the Weyes Blood image a heightened sense of reality, adding a level of enigma that most artists fail to capture in the zeitgeist of the “candid” celebrity. Weyes Blood is a myth, a deity sent to Earth from outer space to tell tales of her travels in the cold, winding Milky Way galaxy.

In recent times there has been a noticeable shift in the way people engage with art. The phenomenon of “the second screen” has pushed for the production of quick, easily digestible content that is meant to serve as background noise for other activities. Most major blockbusters are remakes or sequels from “safe bet” franchises, physical artist and graphic designers are being replaced with generative AI, and music has been reduced to 30 second sellable clips for social media use – art made to pacify. But every so often, there is a person who can rise above the noise. Someone that has the ability to speak to the human condition and force us to reckon with the storm that rages inside one’s very soul. Weyes Blood is a captain through rough waters, singing songs that inspire hope in even the most weathered of sailors.

At times I find myself lost in the shuffle of the day to day, not knowing when I will experience a moment of peace. I walk past a window, and I see my own reflection. I see all the years that have passed through me, all the people I used to be, and I get overwhelmed with a longing for simpler times. It's in these moments I recall the last verse of my favorite Weyes Blood song. “You see the reflection and you want it more than the truth/You yearn to be that dream that you could never get to/’Cause the person on the other side has always just been you/Oh, God, turn me into a flower”. Weyes Blood’s artistic vision has instilled in me a deeper love for myself and all things around me.

If it was not made explicitly clear already, I highly recommend listening to Weyes Blood. She has been a major inspiration for me in my creative journey, and her music has guided me through some dark times. I recommend her two most recent albums, “Titanic Rising” & “And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow” for anyone unfamiliar with her work. If it seems like you can’t seem to catch a break in today’s fast moving world, I invite you to take a step back and listen with me. Shatter your mirror and look deeper within yourself to find what truly makes you beautiful, not just in body, but in mind and soul.

Written by Jesse Carraco, Photography: Carolina Flores, Design: Aida Packer, Social Media: Rena Elhachem

Aglow in the Darkness