Vera Farmiga is to release a debut album with her metal band The Yagas.
The 51-year-old actress – who has appeared in movies such as ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘The Departed’ – has confirmed that her band’s first record ‘Midnight Minuet’ will be released on April 25.
The album will feature 10 songs mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Brian Virtue and mastered by Grammy-winner Emily Lazar – who has previously worked with artists such as Coldplay, Lady Gaga and The Killers.
A track from the album titled ‘Life Of A Widow’ is out now and takes on themes of loss and overcoming a sense of isolation.
Farmiga said of the song: “The song is aching to feel the presence of a deceased loved one. It’s a soul’s journey of yearning, pleading to crack the unbearable silence of solitude, that Vantablack void, just to hear your love’s voice once again, to feel your love’s touch again.”
She continued: “The protagonist in our song wanders through the misery, she navigates through mad midnight moments of throbbing despair. She begs to feel less alone. She demands to feel the presence of her lost love. And she won’t stop wailing until he’s there.
“It’s about taking those sudden, violent jabs of red-hot grief, feeling pummelled and clobbered by desperation and crying out to the dearly departed for help and reconnection.”
Vera’s husband Renn Hawkey is the band’s keyboardist and was motivated by the challenge of making music away from his group Deadsy.
The 51-year-old musician said: “Producing ‘Midnight Minuet’ was very cathartic for me. I felt the need to prove to myself that I could make great music outside of Deadsy… This was a very different creative experience for me.”
Hawkey continued: “‘Midnight Minuet’ just felt different. The Yagas built a new playground together, made up of our respective life experience with equal ownership. We are the sum of our parts. When this kind of synergy exists, you grab it, nurture it, and give it a life.”
The Yagas made their live debut earlier this month and are scheduled to play another gig at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on Saturday (05.04.25).
‘Midnight Minuet’ tracklist:
1. ‘The Crying Room’
2. ‘I Am’
3. ‘Life Of A Widow’
4. ‘Anhedonia’
5. ‘Pendulum’
6. ‘Charade’
7. ‘Bridle’
8. ‘Pullover’
9. ‘She’s Walking Down’
10. ‘Midnight Minuet’