Lizzie Weber has high hopes for her latest single. “It stands as a powerful prayer—an outstretched hand to the mother of all there is,” she says. “I was in Italy, where Mary’s spirit is everywhere, woven into the fabric of daily life. She felt divine to me, yet also profoundly human. I was grieving a recent loss—and I was so moved by her presence that I felt compelled to write my own prayer to her. My own Hail Mary.”
“Maria” was produced by Nathan Yaccino (Pearl Jam, Norah Jones, Soundgarden), who was also behind Weber’s 2024 version of Soundgarden’s “Head Down.” Their latest collaboration is a percolating, piano-based composition that evokes the prog classicism of Kate Bush’s early work and is almost anthemic in its yearning. To enhance the phantom ache that pulses through the track, Weber tapped the Swell Season’s Markéta Irglová.
“I knew her angelic voice would be the perfect counterpart,” says Weber, who was raised in St. Louis and has since established herself as multifaceted creative force over a trio LPs. “When she sent back a version with her ideas, I was deeply moved by the beautiful harmonies she created and the lyrics she added at the end—a simple but poignant response, ‘Let go, have faith.’”
We’re proud to premiere Lizzie Weber’s “Maria.” Look for a new LP sometime next year.
—Hobart Rowland
