Maria Taylor Makes Triumphant Return With Beautiful, Affecting Indie Pop Songs on ‘Story’s End’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Maria Taylor started working on Story’s End—her latest LP—six years ago, beginning with a handful of quiet, stripped-down demos in her home studio. There was no real rush to follow up her 2019 self-titled effort, but fractures in both her marriage and a close friendship found her leaning back into these songs once again.

The result is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Songs of marriages and friendships falling apart sit alongside moments of optimism and renewal, making Story’s End an emotionally powerful journal set to a lush soundtrack. The opening title track features Taylor’s hushed vocals floating over a maudlin piano before strings—and eventually drums—enter the mix. It’s a deeply affecting opening salvo.

Taylor, who is also one half of the group Azure Ray, brought in a handful of collaborators to flesh out the record, including Conor Oberst, who provides backing vocals on the emotionally stirring “Sorry I Was Yours,” as well as Nik Freitas, Mike Bloom, and Sally Dworsky. “Tricky,” with Taylor’s dreamy, almost hypnotic delivery, plays like a blend of Mazzy Star and Cocteau Twins. Elsewhere, “Never Thought I’d Feel New” serves as the album’s strongest source of optimism—a beautifully hazy, mid-tempo indie pop song about getting out of your own head and staying positive. It’s also a track Taylor admits took five years to finish.

Toward the end of the record, the remarkably beautiful “Nathaniel”—easily one of its standout tracks—is also one of the few songs that does not appear to center on Taylor herself. Though the drums and piano remain steady throughout, the gradual swell of strings creates an unforgettable four-minute run, perfectly complementing her vocals without ever overpowering them.

The record closes with “Change Is Coming Soon (Green Butterfly Sequel),” an ideal closer both musically and lyrically, tying together a highly affecting album while hinting at something better on the horizon after a clearly dark seven-year stretch between releases. It’s a fitting end to a record that finds Taylor not just documenting loss but slowly learning how to move through it; a beautiful, affecting album that you’ll keep coming back to.