| Titanic Rising | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 5, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:22 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Weyes Blood chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Titanic Rising | ||||
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Titanic Rising is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musicianWeyes Blood, released on April 5, 2019 bySub Pop. Produced by the artist along withJonathan Rado, it is influenced by 1970sFM radio. Its lyrical themes address romantic pursuits,climate change, and references to theTitanic.
The album was preceded by the release of three singles including "Andromeda", released on January 17, 2019, which was included in various year-end lists. "Everyday" and "Movies" were released as the second and third single, respectively. The album received universal acclaim frommusic critics, with praise going towards its powerful ambience and vulnerable lyrics. It earned the singer her first appearance on theUK Albums Chart, and additionally charted on the U.S.Top Album Sales chart and reached the top 20 in Scotland.
Weyes Blood's third studio album,Front Row Seat to Earth, was released by the independent record labelMexican Summer on October 21, 2016.[1] She wrote the entirety of the album herself and produced it withChris Cohen.[2]
AfterFront Row Seat to Earth, Weyes Blood signed with theSub Pop record label in 2017.[3]
Weyes Blood used her history in Christianity as a key concept onTitanic Rising. She considers herself a fallen Christian, which is a recurring theme in the album, specifically on the tracks "A Lot's Gonna Change" and "Mirror Forever". She focused on writing lyrics aboutincome disparity andclimate change as she thinks they are fundamental toWestern civilization.[4] She was inspired by the 2006 documentary filmAn Inconvenient Truth, which discusses climate change; she said the film "rocked [her] fucking boat so hard", thinking that things in the world would not be the same due to climate change.[5] She was inspired by singers suchHoagy Carmichael,Judy Garland,Frank Sinatra,[4] andEnya, the rock bandthe Kinks, thesurrealism movement, andfilms from the 1990s.[6] She cited Enya's "feminine" music and her use of vocal layers as "[leaking] into [her] music secretly on the side".[6] She was also influenced bypop music from the 1960s; she believes that the chord changes and meaningful lyrics are not present in modern pop music.[6]
Titanic Rising was written in the perspective of writing to a past self. Weyes Blood did this so that she could "reconcile some of the trauma" of growing up believing things in the world would remain stable. She cited the instability of the climate, survivability, and children's quality of life as "[playing] a role in how you cope with reality". She has described the album as "forging [her] own path"; because of the success with her previous album, she was able to have a lot of control overTitanic Rising.[6]
Following the release ofFront Row Seat to Earth, Natalie Mering signed withSub Pop in 2017.[7]Titanic Rising was recorded in 2018 over a three month period at Sonora Studios inLos Angeles and was produced byJonathan Rado.[8] The album is named after theRMSTitanic and the1997 film based on theship's sinking, which had a profound impact on Mering when she was younger.[8][9][10]
Titanic Rising incorporates with recurring themes ofclimate change, natural resources depleting, and the difficulty of having a real connection with people.[5]
The album's music pairs inspiration from 1970sFM radio with more expansive sounds,[11] and has been described assoft rock[12] with influences from artists such asJoni Mitchell andthe Carpenters, as well aschamber pop andbaroque pop.[13][11]
The opening track "A Lot's Gonna Change", a song that Mering described as setting the overall theme ofTitanic Rising, deals with the yearning for a return to the simpler times of childhood, as well as learning how to cope with changes without being bogged down with hopelessness.[14][10] "Andromeda", inspired bythe galaxy andthe mythological figure of the same name, deals with finding love in a world of distractions and past disappointments and features aLinnDrum.[15][16][17] "Everyday" has an upbeat melody and lyrics about the struggles ofonline dating.[18][19]Climate change is also a central theme of the album, with theTitanic used as a metaphor for this.[10][15]
Mering described the title track, aninstrumental, as an interlude between the album's first half, which deals with hope and love, and the second half, which deals with "an existential sub-zone."[20] "Movies" featuressyntharpeggios in the first half before giving way tostrings.[21][20] Lyrically, the song deals with Mering's disillusionment with movies as a teenager and how she felt they lied to her.[20][22] "Picture Me Better" is about a friend that committedsuicide while Mering was making the album, while the finale track on the album, "Nearer to Thee", is a reference to thealleged final song theband on the RMSTitanic played before the ship sank.[15][8]
The album cover features Mering submerged in an underwater bedroom. The cover was photographed by Brett Stanley in aLong Beach, California pool. Commenting on the cover's meaning, Mering stated that she thought of water as symbolizing thesubconscious, and that a bedroom lives in this subconscious space due to its role as "a safe [..] and imaginative space" that shapes people's beliefs and identities.[23]
Titanic Rising'slead single, "Andromeda", was released on January 17, 2019, as her first original solo release sinceFront Row Seat to Earth.[24][25]Titanic Rising, its release date, track list, and artwork was announced alongside the release of its second single, "Everyday", on February 12, 2019.[26][27] The single was also accompanied by a self-directed music video.[26] She also announced the True Love Is Making a Comeback Tour on the same day, which began on April 1 and ended on June 13; it passed through North America and Europe.[26] On February 17, she performed the album track "Something to Believe" at Midwinter, a Chicagomusic festival.[28] The album's third and final single, "Movies" was released on March 19, alongside another self-directed music video.[29] On May 20, she announced a second tour, the Something to Believe Tour, which began on August 7 and concluded on October 6, passing through the United States.[30]
On May 27, 2020, the "Wild Time" music video was released.[31] The Japanese bonus track, "Titanic Risen", was released in January 2021 exclusively onRoblox's sinking ship simulator, and on April 4, the track was released on streaming services after theRobloxTitanic room was sunk.[32][33][34]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.4/10[35] |
| Metacritic | 91/100[36] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The A.V. Club | A−[37] |
| The Independent | [38] |
| Mojo | [39] |
| NME |  [40] |
| The Observer | [41] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[14] |
| Q | [42] |
| Rolling Stone | [43] |
| Uncut | 9/10[44] |
Titanic Rising received widespread acclaim from contemporarymusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 91 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[36]
AllMusic praised the record, stating that "she underscores enormouslyorchestrated pop songs with eerieexperimental ambience, imagining a dreamworld where Joni Mitchell's late-'70s output was produced byBrian Eno."[11] Quinn Moreland, writing forPitchfork, described the album as "a grand, sentimental ode to living and loving in the shadow of doom" and "her most ambitious and complex work yet".[14]Dazed Digital stated that, "pairing a rich, 70s soft-rock palette with rippling undercurrents of dread, it already feels like one of the year's best records, and a poignant document on what it feels like to inhabit this particular moment in time."[12]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | AllMusic Best of 2019 | 1 | |
| The A.V. Club | The 20 Best Albums of 2019 | 5 | |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2019 | 26 | |
| Dazed | The 20 Best Albums of 2019 | 4 | |
| The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 10 | |
| NME | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 9 | |
| NPR | The 25 Best Albums of 2019 | 14 | |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 1 | |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 9 | |
| PopMatters | The 70 Best Albums of 2019 | 38 | |
| Slant | The 25 Best Albums of 2019 | 18 | |
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 17 | |
| Treble Zine | The Top 50 Albums of 2019 | 11 | |
| Uproxx | The Best Albums of 2019 | 4 | |
| Vice | The 100 Best Albums of 2019 | 20 |
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | AllMusic Best Albums of the 2010s | — | |
| Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 143 | |
| The A.V. Club | The 50 Best Albums of the 2010s | 37 |
All tracks are written byNatalie Mering (Weyes Blood)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Lot's Gonna Change" | 4:21 |
| 2. | "Andromeda" | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Everyday" | 5:07 |
| 4. | "Something to Believe" | 4:45 |
| 5. | "Titanic Rising" | 1:36 |
| 6. | "Movies" | 5:53 |
| 7. | "Mirror Forever" | 5:05 |
| 8. | "Wild Time" | 6:09 |
| 9. | "Picture Me Better" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Nearer to Thee" | 1:05 |
| Total length: | 42:22 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Titanic Risen" | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 46:47 | |
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Musicians
| Technical personnel
Artwork
|
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[63] | 37 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[64] | 139 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[65] | 113 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[66] | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[67] | 68 |
| USTop Album Sales (Billboard)[68] | 34 |
| USTop Alternative Albums (Billboard)[69] | 6 |
| USHeatseekers Albums (Billboard)[70] | 3 |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Singles | |
| Featured singles | |
| Concert tours | |
