DREAM BIG: Weyes Blood In 2025
- Josh Kitchen
- Dec 28, 2025
- 4 min read
By: Josh Kitchen / December 28, 2025
Weyes Blood's 2022’s And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is a truly immense record—a multi-storied world that provides endless of solitude, respite, wonder, and that titular fiery, burning glow. It’s a deeply satisfying set of songs, offering a kind of refuge you can return to again and again.
Like 2019’s Titanic Rising, Hearts Aglow is a record where Weyes Blood, aka Natalie Mering, spends every track flexing her impressive vocal chords both within and without - soft whispers and belting it in ways that will give you goosebumps. She taps into a certain nostalgic salvation—one where, once you’re hooked on what she’s offering, you want to keep searching. Weyes Blood's music is built on lush, dreamy, operatic soundscapes, complete with sweeping string and choral arrangements—Brian Wilson by way of Judee Sill or Mama Cass.
It’s already been three years since the release of And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, and it appears Mering is gearing up for what’s next. She’s said in the past that Titanic Rising and Hearts Aglow are two parts of a planned trilogy of sorts—Titanic Rising detailing a physical world in peril, filled with environmental warnings, and Hearts Aglow reflecting the isolation brought on by the COVID pandemic, with a hope that we can still find solace in one another. “Mercy is the only / cure for being so lonely,” she sings on “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody.”
Since Hearts Aglow, Mering has relocated north after the fires in Altadena and Los Angeles earlier this year, sharing the devastation done to her home and neighborhood on social media and raising money for those involved—a real-life horror not unlike the warnings she once sang about on Titanic Rising.
2026 promises a hopeful return from Mering, with a follow-up to Hearts Aglow on the horizon. In this year’s Spotify Wrapped, some Weyes Blood listeners were greeted with a video of Mering promising new music “real soon.” While we wait, 2025 has been a busy year for her—she appears on four tracks released this year, as well as on the incredible Marty Supreme soundtrack by Daniel Lopatin.
Keep an eye out for new Weyes Blood in the new year—the world might not be getting any better, but with new music from Mering, it might sound a little sweeter.
Drugdealer & Weyes Blood - "Real Thing"
Drugdealer — the stage name of psychedelic LA wizard Michael Collins — returned this year with two excellent singles, the first being the ’70s easy-listening- and disco-inspired “Real Thing.” Weyes Blood takes the lead vocals on this gem, her out-of-time delivery taking “Real Thing” to groovy, candy-sweet heights. “Think I found someone who loves me / Somebody that's so proud that they found me / Someone who loves me in every way,” Mering sings, as the track closes with a Wings-era-inspired sax solo. This is, indeed, the real thing.
Cover of Neil Diamond's "Shiloh" From The Good American Family Soundtrack
Mering's version of "Shiloh" is more tender than the original, ditching Diamond's grandiose backing band for a string-laden acoustic version, letting her greatest instrument - her voice, hit you in the gut and all the feels for a very glorious four and half minutes. It's a gorgeous addition to Weyes Blood's quickly growing catalogue, and joining some very interesting cover choices by her like Dylan's epic "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," "You're No Good," the Linda Ronstadt/Dee Dee Warwick classic featured on the Minions OST (that's right, and its GREAT), and the jazz standard, "When You're Smiling."
Spellling feat. Weyes Blood - "Destiny Arrives"
Weyes Blood appears on this new version of "Destiny Arrives," from Spellling's fantastic 2025 record, Portrait of My Heart. The addition of Mering and her cerebral vocals here take the track to a whole new level, complimenting Tia Cabral's grounded vocals, adding more calls of destiny arriving, set to a killer explosion of drums and some classic oohs and aahs.
Cover of The mamas And The Papas: "Snowqueen of Texas" from the Oh. What. Fun. Soundtrack
We've been long overdue for a Weyes Blood Mamas and the Papas cover, and thanks to this excellent compilation for the new holiday movie, Oh. What. Fun., we get just that, which includes other great tracks from St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy, and Sharon Van Etten. Weyes Blood takes does this holiday classic justice, taking over the entirety of the vocals here, instead of the duet between John and Michelle Phillips. It's a perfect vehicle for a great Weyes Blood vocal performance, and it will make a great addition to holiday playlists going forward.
Marty Supreme - Daniel Lopatin
The Marty Supreme original soundtrack by Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, invites us to dream big. Much like the film’s titular Marty Mauser, played by an electric Timothée Chalamet, the music accompanying Mauser’s ping-pong world-domination odyssey through 1950s New York and beyond is ambitious and richly textured. It’s a synth-laden dreamscape—an ’80s-inspired score that functions as its own character rather than mere background music.
If you had to compare it, you might point to Vangelis’ work on Blade Runner or Chariots of Fire, but the Marty Supreme soundtrack has even more in common with classic ’80s new-wave acts like Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, and Alphaville—all of whom appear on the film’s soundtrack as well. Listen closely and you’ll also hear Weyes Blood here as well -"a little wordless dance on top of Daniel’s synth beds…" Mering says. Mering appears on two tracks - “Vampire’s Castle” and "Force of Life," an epic, kaleidoscopic piece where her voice washes over you as Marty refuses to give in to mediocrity and defeat.
Marty Supreme is an exhilarating film, one where your heart never stops racing. The music pushes it to even greater heights—a perfect vehicle for the kind of musical salvation Weyes Blood does so well to provide.