Madi Diaz – ‘Weird Faith’ album review: an emotive analysis of trust, fear and love
THE SKINNY: Of her 2021 album, Madi Diaz said History Of A Feeling felt like her debut despite being active and releasing for years before. It was a painfully revealing insight into a relationship’s necessary yet painful end. Three years on, Weird Faith feels like a sophomore release in the best way, as Diaz attempts to dust herself off and figure out her place in the aftermath of heartbreak and the birth of new love.
Less of an exorcism of overflowing emotions, the album is a meticulous analysis of returning feelings. Rather than feeling like a cathartic scream amid a crisis, Weird Faith is more curious and built up of small moments. It deals with the ‘in-betweens’ that happen at the start and middle of a relationship without lingering too long in the universal act of love or loss. ‘Girlfriend’ picks apart the uncomfortable encounter with a lingering ex. ‘KFM’ contemplates the strangeness of realising every relationship will either last forever or end. ‘Everything Almost’ is an anthem for conflict and confusion between what is healthy and what is avoidant.
In moments, Madi Diaz perfectly captures the experience of relationship OCD; packing the album is overthinking spiralling thoughts that pick a normal relationship to tattered, confused pieces. It’s a record that contemplates what a relationship even is, what it should look like and which feelings are normal. While History Of A Feeling tracked an emotion from start to painful finish, Weird Faith wonders about the anatomy of a feeling.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t fragments of emotional clarity. Even while Diaz zooms closely on particular moments, the specificity of her lyrics makes for a sharp, finished product. “I’ve been leaving you for months now,” she sings on track nine, plainly speaking a sentiment of utter heartache. Her songwriting is vividly interested in saying it exactly how it is. It’s refreshing to hear tales of love and loss told without the distraction of overblown metaphors or imagery. That’s laid out within the first second as she asks straightly, “Do you think this could ruin your life? Cause I could see it ruining mine.”
Musically straightforward, it’s the kind of high-quality, plain sailing you’d expect from a performer of Diaz’s calibre. It’s careful not to crowd the lyricism but is scattered with enough difference and layers to protect it from being one-note. The addition of Kacey Musgraves on ‘Don’t Do Me Good’ is a clear highlight, coming together for a good old-fashioned country ballad.
In every way, Weird Faith is a perfect follow-up to History Of A Feeling. It seamlessly continues the story in the most real way as the emotions it holds truthfully encapsulate the feeling of returning to love after a brutal loss. It’s an album that feels like it’s a walk in the dark, trying to balance letting yourself dive in deep again with a subtle desire to be more guarded than before. Diaz’s voice comes through crisp and clear with all that fear and doubt and excitement and giddiness that colours the early doors of a new relationship. All summed up in the opening lines of the final track; “I’ve been hoping, feeling emotions.”
For fans of: Overanalysing every feeling, text message and interaction.
A concluding comment from Tom’s mum: “Is this the music that I keep seeing people saying ‘I feel seen’ about?”
Weird Faith track by track
Release date: 9th February | Producer: Sam Cohen and Konrad Syder | Label: Anti
‘Same Risk’: A perfect opening to this new era about a cautious return to love, Diaz looks to her new partner and attempts to take a measured leap of faith while wondering if their jump is quite as high as hers. Giving word to the messy feelings of fear and excitement, it captures the moment with fresh ease. Packed with beautiful harmonies and rich guitars, it’s a glorious introduction. [4.5/5]
‘Everything Almost’: Avoidant attachment or a healthy level of mystery? That’s the question asked here as Diaz wonders how to love without totally disappearing into it. Wading more into pop waters, it’s a fun track but not her lyrical best. [3/5]
‘Girlfriend’: Giving word to the rarely sung but well-known experience of your partner’s ex simply not getting the hint and going away, ‘Girlfriend’ is savage. Plain and simple, with nothing much before Diaz’s voice and guitar, the track is a cutting example of the album’s interest in the weird in-between moments. “It’s only weird when you call him,” she sings with no metaphor needed to basically tell someone to fuck off. [4/5]
‘Hurting You’: A sweet ditty about the brutality of an argument with your love. An anthem for communication teething problems as you try to navigate a healthy relationship after a gut-wrenching heartbreak. [3/5]
‘Get To Know Me’: “Have I introduced insecurity yet?” Diaz asks, considering the moments at the start of a new relationship where you have to start revealing yourself deeper. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Diaz’s storytelling ability here is impressive. [3/5]
‘Kiss The Wall’: Diaz was personally asked to join Harry Styles’ live band, proving her worth as a musician beyond her words. On ‘Kiss The Wall’, all of that comes into play as she pulls back the lyricism slightly to build a more dramatic instrumental that swells from sparse piano twinkles into a thundering breakdown. [4/5]
‘God Person’: ‘God Person’ feels like the most forgettable track off the album as her sentiment dives a little too deep into twee. [2/5]
‘Don’t Do Me Good’ featuring Kacey Musgraves: Sad country music for cowboy-hat-sporting heartache girlies. A perfect ballad made even better by the addition of Musgraves’ faultless country twang. A piece that could be written into the timeless heartbreak songbook, Diaz outdid herself. [4.5/5]
‘For Months Now’: The first time I heard this, I audibly gasped, sent it to two friends and listened again. “Have you noticed? I’ve been leaving you for months now,” Diaz sings so nonchalantly. A devastating look into being forced out of love by a partner that routinely lets you down, ‘For Months Now’ is a savage wonder. [4.5/5]
‘KFM’: Standing for ‘Kill, Fuck, Marry’, the track contemplates the various different endings a relationship could have and wonders which is best or safest. While the central chorus lyric is a little cliche, it’s a fun track that may find its best setting in a live space. [2.5/5]
‘Weird Faith’: Giving the album its title, ‘Weird Faith’ attempts to capture the human desire for love over and over despite its inevitable pain. Capturing the project’s analytical voice and desperate hope, it’s hymn-like in its moral. [3.5/5]
‘Obsessive Thoughts’: The final track soars to an instrumental high with a big climax and catharsis. Facing up to her overthinking nature, Diaz summarises everything that came before. [4/5]
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