Some people believe that the human body regenerates itself every seven years.

For Maria Taylor, that change feels just as emotional as it is physical.

Her latest album, Story’s End – her first new release since her self-titled record in 2016 – grew out of the cracks and ruptures that forced her transformation.

Story's End - Maria Taylor — Story’s End – Maria Taylor

“I definitely feel that when one story ends, a new one will begin. Just like the storybooks we read to our kids… none of them last forever,” she says. “The beauty and the anxiety lies in the fact that there’s no way to know what the new story will look like.”

That uncertainty echoes throughout Story’s End, but so does a sense of clarity. The album feels like the work of an artist who’s shed layers – both willingly and otherwise – and emerged with a more vivid understanding of herself.

Taylor began writing the songs that would shape the album during the 2020 lockdown as a way to preserve her sanity. That period also marked an irrevocable fracture in her marriage and the loss of a close friendship – experiences that fundamentally reframed her world.

“I think I needed to make something beautiful as things fell apart around me,” she explains.

What started as a survival mechanism gradually became something more: a process of healing, and ultimately, a sense of closure.

That journey is especially clear on “Never Thought I’d Feel New,” a song about the unexpected moments of renewal and self-discovery as Taylor approaches her 50th birthday. She does a 180 on “Sorry I Was Yours,” where she delivers the eye-opening line: “Standing where the rainbow ends and the pain begins / Where you took my heart for ransom.”

**Throughout Story’s End, she reckons with heartache, resilience and the renewed confidence of reclaiming pieces of her life and her voice that once felt out of reach.**

Music has always been a constant for the Alabama-born artist. While most teenagers were absorbed in social hierarchies at 15, Taylor was already writing songs and performing, eventually catching the industry’s attention with the band Little Red Rocket in the mid-’90s. From there, she co-founded the indie-pop duo Azure Ray with Orenda Fink in 2001, before launching a prolific solo career in 2005 that has since spanned more than 16 albums.

Now, with Story’s End, Taylor steps into a new, hard-won phase.

Recorded between Los Angeles and Omaha, the album brings together collaborators from across her 30-year career, including Conor Oberst, Nik Freitas and Mike Bloom. The 10-track collection also features contributions from Sally Dworsky, Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes, First Aid Kit), and Pierre de Reeder (Rilo Kiley).

All of it reflects an artist who continues to evolve. The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (who plays a mean set of drums) feels like a different person than she was at the time of her last release.

“One advantage of getting older… we continue to grow,” she says. “I also feel like spending so much time playing drums and really getting into songs that were not my own helped me to gain new perspectives that I could put into these songs.”

Atwood Magazine caught up with Taylor to talk about poetic contradictions, finding her inner five-year-old, and the drive to create music – and a life – that endures even when everything feels fragile.

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:: stream/purchase Story’s End here ::

:: connect with Maria Taylor here ::

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A CONVERSATION WITH MARIA TAYLOR

Atwood Magazine: After more than seven years between albums, what was the defining moment that made now the right time to release Story’s End? What emotions are swirling as you prepare to release this one?

Maria Taylor: Well, it took me five years to complete these songs. I started most of them during the lockdown in 2020 and I wasn’t writing them with a record in mind, just writing to keep my sanity. In 2021, Conor called and asked if I would play drums on a couple of Bright Eyes tours. Since I hadn’t sat down at the drums in over a decade, I majorly switched gears into drum mode. I would take the kids to school and then practice drums for eight hours a day. I would almost forget about these songs for months at a time until they would pop back into my mind.

Eventually, I sat back and took a look at what I had been working on for years as a whole… and I saw that I had a solid record in front of me. I am so very excited to share this record. Restraining myself when I’m excited about something is a form of torture for me, so this record can’t come out soon enough!!

You mentioned needing to “make something beautiful as things fell apart.” Do you see this album as a form of healing or closure?

Maria Taylor: I see it as both. I guess the process of making it was more a part of healing and having it completed is the closure.

The song “Story’s End” feels almost fragile in its softness. Did that vulnerability come naturally, or was it something you had to consciously lean into while finishing the song?

Maria Taylor: I feel like a lot of my songs have that fragile vulnerability. I think it’s a side of myself that definitely finds its way into my songs. A side of myself that I’m most comfortable with, really. It’s the songs that sound more tough that I have to consciously lean into.

There’s a poetic contradiction in the title. Did you think of “the end” as something finite, or more like the end of one chapter before another begins? If Story’s End does mark the closing of one chapter, how would you describe the ‘next chapter’ this album opens up for you creatively and personally?

Maria Taylor: I definitely feel that when one story ends, a new one will begin. Just like the story books we read to our kids… none of them last forever;) The beauty and the anxiety lies in the fact that there’s no way to know what the new story will look like.

But – I hope that this record opens doors so that I can play more music, but also provide for my kids. Kids are expensive and music is often times free. 😉 And I hope this new story will be filled with a lot of love, all forms of love. And puppies. And lots of delicious red wine.

I love the video for “Story’s End” and the behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album. What was your favorite part about creating this album?

Maria Taylor: Oh man…. Too many favorites to count. I love making music with my friends and family, and there was so much of that with this record. Another advantage of taking my sweet time with this record was that I got to record pieces of it in several different studios.

You mentioned “Never Thought I’d Feel New” says exactly what it means. Was there a moment in your life when that feeling of newness really surprised you?

Maria Taylor: Oh my god, YES! When you are days away from turning 50, there are many, many… MANY moments when you feel nothing but OLD. But luckily it usually doesn’t take me long to find my inner five-year-old and then everything looks new. 🙂

Given the personal upheaval you’ve spoken about, did this song take on new meaning once you were finishing the album as a whole?

Maria Taylor: Yes, in a lot of ways “Never Thought I’d Feel New” took on new meaning. But I also kept tweaking this song (lyrically and melodically) until the day it was mixed.

Do you feel like a different artist now compared to when you last released a record?

Maria Taylor: I do. One advantage of getting older…. we continue to grow. I also feel like spending so much time playing drums and really getting into songs that were not my own helped me to gain new perspectives that I could put into these songs.

Is there something about your artistry now that you wish you had embraced earlier in your career?

Maria Taylor: I listen back to my older records and there is so much I would do differently now, but I love it that way. I wasn’t who I am today.

If someone is listening to your music for the first time through Story’s End, what do you hope they take away about you as an artist?

Maria Taylor: That I’m honest and relatable. Music is what I turn to in life when I’m happy or sad; bored or having a party. I just hope that my songs resonate with whoever might need them.

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