| Andromeda | |
| Cover: | Andromeda Weyes Blood.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Weyes Blood |
| Album: | Titanic Rising |
| Genre: | Folk |
| Length: | 4:40 |
| Label: | Sub Pop |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Tears on Fire |
| Prev Year: | 2017 |
| Next Title: | Everyday |
| Next Year: | 2019 |
"Andromeda" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Weyes Blood, released through Sub Pop on January 17, 2019, as the lead single from her fourth studio album Titanic Rising (2019). It was written by the artist, co-produced by her and Jonathan Rado, and mixed by Kenny Gilmore in Los Angeles. The song marked her first original release since her critically acclaimed 2016 album Front Row Seat to Earth. The artist included "Andromeda" in the set list of her In Holy Flux Tour. A music video was released in 2024.
After releasing her third studio album Front Row Seat to Earth, Weyes Blood signed in 2017 with record label Sub Pop, and initially planned to release a studio album the following year.[1] She released "Andromeda" at the beginning of 2019, while the record company announced that her album would be available in the spring of the northern hemisphere.[2] In February, she announced the album, titled Titanic Rising, while releasing the second single, "Everyday".[3]
"Andromeda" was written and produced by Weyes Blood along with Jonathan Rado, and mixed by Kenny Gilmore in Los Angeles.[4] It has been described as a folk love song, with themes of mythology, astronomy and technology.[5] It is a "galactic" ballad,[6] in which "a twangy slide guitar plays around a spaced-out synthscape".[7] Its lyrics are about "finding a relationship that withstands modern distractions and unrealistic expectations". Kitty Empire for The Guardian wrote that the song finds Weyes Blood "staring at the heavens, looking for 'something I might never find'."[8] After being asked about the theme of the song, the singer stated:
"Andromeda" was praised for its "atmosphere and production embellishments" that "keep it sounding fresh". While calling it "dizzying", the magazine's reviewer Leah Lu praised her vocals and lyrics, equipped with an "elegant swagger". The song was named by the Paste Magazine staff as the second best Weyes Blood song, while praising its "familiar structure and '80s-style percussion".[9] Israel Daramola for Spin described "Andromeda" as "hypnotic" and "bluesy".[10] Pitchfork placed the song at number 28 on its list of the Best Songs of 2019.[11] The Fader also included the song in an unranked list of the staff's best songs of the year.[12]
Weyes Blood performed "Andromeda", along with "Wild Time" and "Picture Me Better", at a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music, published on December 11, 2019.[13] The song was later added to the setlist of the In Holy Flux Tour (2022–2023).[14] [15] The singer also sang the song at Glastonbury Festival on June 25 of that year.[16]
A music video for "Andromeda" was released on April 15, 2024, over five years after its release. It was directed by the artist along with Ambar Navarro and Colton Stock.[17] Its filming began in 2018 and was ultimately completed in 2024, marking the album's fifth anniversary.[18] In the video, Weyes Blood plays three roles: a traveler marooned on a desert planet, an astronaut on a spacewalk, and interstellar royalty riding on an asteroid.[19] [20] It was described by Rolling Stone as a "psychedelic odyssey featuring Mering in a Barbarella-esque metallic suit".[21]