Weird Faith

Weird Faith is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Madi Diaz, released on February 9, 2024, by Anti-. The album follows her fifth studio album, History of a Feeling, and tours with Angel Olsen, Waxahatchee, and Harry Styles. It was written in Nashville and upstate New York, recorded in upstate New York by Diaz and Sam Cohen, and produced by Diaz, Cohen, and Konrad Snyder.

Weird Faith has been described as an indie rock, indie folk, and indie pop album. The album features sparse, acoustic arrangements that highlight Diaz's lyrics and vocals, and it addresses themes of love, trust, and intimacy. Critics have positively reviewed the album, particularly praising Diaz's emotional songwriting.

Background and production
Following the release of her critically acclaimed fifth studio album History of a Feeling (2021), the Nashville-based singer-songwriter Madi Diaz went on tour and opened for Angel Olsen, Waxahatchee, and Harry Styles. She also accepted an offer from Styles to join his tour band. At the same time, Diaz began working on her sixth studio album, Weird Faith. She wrote the album from her home in Nashville and in upstate New York, where she recorded the album with Sam Cohen. Cohen co-produced the album with Konrad Snyder.

Diaz said in an interview with Stereogum that she wrote Weird Faith during a period in her life in which she was "learn[ing] how to trust [her]self", trust the growth of her career, and trust in her relationships with her new manager, new label, and new romantic partner. When writing the songs on Weird Faith, Diaz told BrooklynVegan that she spent time in places of worship, where she would "quietly ask [her]self questions". She also said that she was influenced by the Bonticou Crag rock scramble in upstate New York, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me by Now", The Maori Girls of Turakina by the Turakina Maori Girls Choir, Julia Michaels' Not in Chronological Order, and "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz" by Sandy Denny. Diaz said in Nylon that the album was inspired by her father. Diaz worked with several co-writers, including Olivia Barton on "Everything Almost", Steph Jones and Charlie Hickey on "Same Risk", and Lori McKenna on the title track.

Composition and themes
Weird Faith has been described as an indie rock, indie folk, and indie pop album. Critics have said that the album's mostly-acoustic tracks are minimalist compositions that highlight Diaz's vocals and songwriting. In No Depression, Maeri Ferguson called Diaz's songwriting "raw and direct" and the musical arrangements "[s]parse[,]... gritty and textured". She said that the vocals ranged from being "stark" to "almost hymnal in their power". Adam Fink in Exclaim! called the musical arrangement "relatively subdued", and noted the lyrics' emotional power. In Glide, Ryan Dillon stated that the album had a "very honed sonic landscape", featuring minimal arrangements that support, rather than "outshine", Diaz's vocals. Lucy Harbron in Far Out wrote that the music was straightforward, with "high-quality, plain sailing" production. She also noted that the production had "enough difference and layers" to ensure that Diaz's lyrics did not sound "one-note". Similarly, in Pitchfork, Marissa Lorusso said that the album's production was straightforward, with moments of sound layering to highlight particular emotions. She also called Diaz's voice "resonant and emotionally rich".

According to critics, Weird Faith addresses themes of love, trust, and intimacy. Both Mia Hughes in Stereogum and Fink in Exclaim! wrote that, by contrast with History of a Feeling, which addressed the end of a relationship, Weird Faith was written from the perspective of falling in love, as well as the complications that can arise early in a relationship. Likewise, in Glide Dillon said that the album focuses on a new relationship and the difficulties associated with falling in love, which he viewed as a metaphor for Diaz's relationship with her career and newfound fame, and the anxieties surrounding them. Comparing "Think of Me" from History of a Feeling with "Girlfriend" on Weird Faith, Eric Bennett in Paste wrote that instead of directing "betrayal and hurt" towards her "cheating ex and his new partner", Diaz now "extends grace" towards her new boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, being honest and open with her emotions and insecurities. Rhian Daly wrote in The Forty-Five that Diaz's "penetrative lyrics" focus on themes of love and trust, as well as Diaz's relationships with herself and others, and her "fears and trepidations, insecurities and overthinking". Lorusso in Pitchfork said that the album captures the "paradox" that while falling in love can be beautiful, it is also "absurd and mortifying". Diaz said in an interview with Exclaim! that the album was about "having some weird faith and walking forward" when falling in love in a new relationship.

In Nashville Scene, Jacqueline Zeisloft also highlighted the theme of intimacy, writing that Diaz "conveys the beautiful messiness of sustaining a long-term relationship". Ferguson said that the album "navigate[s] the uneven terrain of intimacy"—including confronting jealousy, personality flaws, and insecurities—particularly the moment "when the dust settles" and a person is confronted with rebuilding a relationship. Similarly, Steffanee Wang in Nylon wrote that the album is about "love and unhealthy cycles", featuring "bare-boned confessionals" about Diaz's "neurotic habits, toxic thought patterns, and an ever-hopeful desire to be better". Marcy Donelson wrote for AllMusic that the album "shines a blue light on the dark underbelly of love, where the flaws, compromises, and insecurities lie".

Release and promotion
Weird Faith is Diaz's sixth studio album. It was released on February 9, 2024, by Anti-. On February 10, Diaz played the song "Everything Almost" from the album on The Tonight Show. She began the Weird Faith tour to support the album on February 12;, the tour is scheduled to end on April 4, 2024.

Critical reception
Weird Faith received a score of 81 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on eight critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Critics praised the album for Diaz's songwriting and production. Fink in Exclaim! rated the album an 8 out of 10, praising the production and writing that Diaz's songwriting was "plainly spoken" and relatable. For Glide Magazine, Dillon wrote that Diaz's "blunt" songwriting "anchor[s]" listeners in the "mostly ambient" production, calling the album an "opus". In Paste, Bennett rated the album an 8.2 out of 10 and called Diaz's songwriting "stylized but diaristic"; he also said that the album highlighted Diaz's vocals, but that the instrumentation "felt like a second thought" on some tracks. In The Forty-Five, Daly rated the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and said that Diaz's songwriting "makes you feel like you're right in the middle of the scenes she creates with her pen".

Critics also praised the album's tone. Sarah Taylor of DIY rated the album 4 out of 5 stars, calling the tracks "wistful yet self-aware", with Diaz striking a "defiant" tone and proclaiming "her faith in love". Caleb Campbell, who rated the album 7.5 out of 10 stars for Under the Radar, said that the album was "often tender and unfussed in presentation, yet full of unsparing honesty". Writing for Garden & Gun, Dacey Orr Sivewright said that the album "combines big feelings and bold sounds" in a manner unique to Diaz. Lorusso in Pitchfork rated the album 7.3 out of 10, praising Diaz's "ear for melody" and the use of "intimacy and restraint" to provide emotional heft to the lyrics.

Some critics compared Weird Faith with Diaz's previous album, History of a Feeling. Bennett said that while "If History of a Feeling was the mess of emotions, Weird Faith is the cool-headed exhale." Harbron, who rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, said that Weird Faith continued the story of History of a Feeling by capturing "the feeling of returning to love after a brutal loss". Lana Fleischli in Flood wrote that Diaz had grown from her last album, moving on from themes of "loneliness and heartache" to being in a new relationship. Amaya Lim in The Line of Best Fit rated the album 7 out of 10, praising Diaz's songwriting as "sharp and salient". However, she opined that its sparse production style undercut the album's emotions of joy, unlike History of a Feeling, where the sparse production style highlighted that album's dark themes.

Personnel

 * Madi Diaz – producer, vocals, guitar, bass, synth bass, synth, piano, organ, percussion, Mellotron
 * Joe LaPorta – mastering
 * Andrew Maury – mixing
 * Konrad Snyder – producer, vocals, drums, percussion, "ambient cool shit"
 * Sam Cohen – producer, drum machine
 * Kacey Musgraves – featured vocals on "Don't Do Me Good"
 * Nat Smith – cello, string arrangement
 * Matt Barrick – drums, percussion
 * Adam Schreiber – percussion