Album Anniversary: After 5 Years, ‘Titanic Rising’ Has Evolved Into a Looming Prophecy

Almost a year before the COVID-19 outbreak, the release of Titanic Rising foreshadowed themes of irreversible change and doom. But upon further listen, Weyes Blood’s real triumph is her capacity to offer a stern yet considerate critique on humanity’s hand in upending their own home. 

Written by Carly Williams

Image courtesy of Weyes Blood on X

The light, alluring spirit of Titanic Rising’s album art reflects as much of Natalie Mering as it does the album itself.

Natalie Mering, the artist behind Weyes Blood, pulls fans in through her eclectic taste and unique portrayal of nostalgia. Her growing discography only deepens this image. In her most recent album, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, heavy harmonies and lush production underpin her musings on dystopian isolation. 

The ability to predict a tragedy may seem prophetic, but the apparent foresight of Titanic Rising proves to be a less important component of the album. Mering presents a critical analysis of humanity’s hubris and its role in destroying the world around them. By mixing a present sensibility with her keen historical knowledge and influences, Weyes Blood provides listeners with a lens to navigate and anticipate the future.

Historical references stake their claim in this album before the music even begins. The title’s reference to the Titanic further manifests itself throughout the album in the cover’s submerged room, and later tracks provide additional allusions. 

The majority of the record’s nostalgic elements derive from its sonic detailing and her vast range of influences. Her enduring, hearty voice mirrors her childhood proximity to Joni Mitchell, while John Cale and Harry Nilsson inform her production and instrumental choices. Cale’s style in layering witty lyrics with classical string instrumentation and drones courses through the majority of Weyes Blood’s albums. Mering’s tendency to insert abstract sounds into smooth, melodramatic tunes mirrors Nilsson’s pioneering intuition to do the same. 

Luckily, the singer-songwriter does not get caught up in the past: her ability to bring a modern edge to older foundations entices fans across different generations. She considers values that transcend time, like religion in “Something to Believe” or the human experience in “Movies.” These discussions establish a common denominator across lived experiences for her audience. Her usage of familiar structures and themes allows her audience to trust her and allow her to transport them into her world.

Weyes Blood immediately foreshadows the future's threat to disrupt the current routine in “A Lot’s Gonna Change.” The doomsday sentiment sounds ominous, but Mering takes her proof for this sentiment from the present. She points to the effects of climate change as a forewarning for the shift the world will endure. Lyrics like “Falling trees, get off your knees” and “It’s high tide, you’ll get by” voice nature’s devolution at the hand of humans. Mering assesses the state of the environment to project her belief that climate change will irreversibly destroy the world. While her prediction that “A lot’s gonna change / In your lifetime” did come true in 2020, Mering’s concerns do not lie exclusively in unpredictable phenomena. This is the calm before the storm.

If “A Lot’s Gonna Change” offers a means for lamentation, “Andromeda” perfectly backdrops that spiraling. Weyes Blood’s most popular track reels listeners in with its futuristic synths and silky bass lines, a creative choice that references the title’s allusion to the Andromeda Galaxy. . In tandem with the tragedy of the Titanic, “Andromeda” references another entity dominated by technological prowess and outlandish perception — space. The track’s lyrics do not allude to space itself, but it still pushes Mering’s thesis that society’s ego and reliance on tech destroy the world it selfishly calls home. A heavy reliance on synths and electronic effects in “Andromeda” guides listeners to wonder about technology’s role in their own life. By drawing these parallels, Titanic Rising inspires questions about human’s role in ruining its own future through its relationship of technology versus nature. 

Photo courtesy of Kathryn Vetter Miller

Weyes Blood approaches “Everyday” and “Movies” with the same framework of 

understanding technological advancements as a perpetrator of society’s perceived downfall. In “Everyday,” Mering attributes her inspiration to modern dating. After hoping that “True love is making a comeback,” she squashes this dream by clarifying, “For only half of us, the rest of us feel bad.” Dating apps favor instant relationships without deeper connection, and this mismatch causes individuals to “need a love every day” to rectify past failings. Despite its sing-along quality, “Everyday” showcases how technological innovation steals the skill of forging new relationships. 

“Movies,” on the other hand, points to film — and perhaps an increase in the availability of visual media — as another reason for disconnection from reality and others. At the halfway point of the album, this track gains momentum from its meandering electronica and drawn out vocals. Eventually, the song bursts open into a culmination of both Mering’s and the audience’s emotional exhaustion. She releases her yearning to “be the star of [her] own movie” where “the meaning of life” shines brighter on the screen. As a result of unfulfilled expectations, Mering’s defeated tone reflects a disappointed attitude held by people who do not get their way. In this act of self-pitying, humans may lose their empathy that possesses the feeling of obligation to care for the circumstances of others. 

As a final testament to her apocalyptic view, Weyes Blood titles one of the final lyrical tracks “Wild Time.” She relays her shock towards humanity’s perseverance with the comment, “I’m wondering how we got here / With no fear we’d fall” despite an atmosphere of “rising tides.” In an emphasis of her desperation, Mering’s ballad gains anxious momentum as she sifts through her thoughts on the end of the world. She plays to her usual structure in layering lethargic instrumentals with drawn out choral harmonies and phrases. However, a dirty guitar riff at the halfway point of the track signals a transition into Mering’s uneasiness. The rest of “Wild Time” erupts in wandering electronica, daunting piano, and a sympathetic tone to faster paced ramblings from the singer-songwriter. In its final manifestation of pessimistic paranoia, Titanic Rising’s final act prevents listeners from forgetting the tension that built up after assessing the status quo.

Even when Mering frees listeners from the voice that has hurtled damning evidence for the end of the world, she does not release them from her message just yet. “Nearer to Thee” contains an eerie quality in its rich tones and call and response pattern.. A direct allusion to “Nearer, My God, To Thee,” this orchestral track points to the last song that the Titanic orchestra played as the ship sank. Titanic Rising ends with this paralyzing perspective on the inevitable — a message that deepens with its double reference back to the prophetic first track “A Lot’s Gonna Change.”

Titanic Rising does not shield listeners from inevitable doom. The titles of the songs themselves instantly suggest strife and downfall, but reflecting on the five years since the record’s release can provide the key to grapple with its notions of terror. With the opportunity to witness Titanic Rising predict “Wild Times,” her wide spectrum of fans can take her prescience as a wake up call to prevent further change. Natalie Mering’s guise of acknowledging the continuities and changes in history equips current audiences with a knowledge of what will come next.