Natalie Mering isn’t afraid of the dark. On her forthcoming Weyes Blood album, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, she’s more wary of men who can’t find their shadows and the eternal light of the smartphone screen. The second in what Mering says is a trilogy beginning with 2019’s cinematic Titanic Rising, the record is an exploration of isolation driven by perpetual technological connection: “We’ve all become strangers / even to ourselves,” she declares on the ornate and ethereal lead single “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody.” As the song’s music video makes clear, Mering isn’t scared of a little fake blood, either. (She’s featured on the new John Cale single “Story Of Blood,” too.)

Mering declared her love for scary movies in the gloriously campy horror homage of 2019’s “Everyday,” a picture-perfect recreation of shaky point-of-view slashers in the style of Friday The 13th. And as the last glows of summer faded into a spookier chill in New York, Mering brought her passion for all things that go bump in the night to Tribeca’s Roxy Cinema for a “Freaky Movie Weekend,” including An American Werewolf In London, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, and Possession (“if you haven’t seen Possession you can’t Unsee it,” she warned). On the heels of her weekend of double-features, we brought Mering to one of the only places where it’s always spooky season, the massive year-round costume store Halloween Adventure in NYC’s East Village. Exploring the darker side of dolls, clowns, and chimney sweep Chris Christie, Mering talked to us about her new album, her Halloween plans, and more. Check out our adventure below.

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is out 11/18 via Sub Pop.