Weaver, Maura

Weaver, Maura

Strange Devotion

Feel It

***After some turbulent late teen years in her former pop punk band, Mixtapes, Maura Weaver needed a break. Months became years and the songs still weren’t coming. It wasn’t until being thrust into personal heartache in 2020 that she began to write songs again and the result was her 2023 solo debut I Was Due For A Heartbreak. The record was a personal breakthrough for Weaver, characterized by Weaver’s distinctive emotional intelligence, the record was intimate and relatable—filled with quiet moments counterbalanced by big ideas about love, loss, and life.Weaver’s sophomore effort Strange Devotion continues in a similar vein. Written and recorded at an allegedly haunted Northern Kentucky studio with longtime collaborator John Hoffman, Weaver’s melody-driven and thought provoking lyrics are as present as ever. But here we have her in the catbird seat. “This time around it was most important that I made a record that I was happy with,” explains Weaver, “Feeling comfortable saying, ‘This is what I think, and this is what I want.’” This confidence flows through the ten distinct tracks suffused with intentional and delicate storytelling while presenting a sonic palette that spans the Feelies, Teenage Fanclub, Liz Phair, and even the Cars. From “Prince,” a bright and light song destined for blasting with the car windows down, to the infectious “Do Nothing” to the impeccable riffs on “The Face,” every molecule of this record reflects Weaver’s continued maturation as a solo artist, a band leader, a player, and a songwriter.Emotionally, the second LP mines...