Maria Taylor Signs with Conor Oberst’s Million Stars Records For Story’s End, Her First Album in Seven Years, out April 3 |
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January 26, 2026: Today, the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor announces her first new album in 7 years Story’s End will be released on April 3. Alongside the announcement, Taylor shared the official video for the album’s title track that was released today. The 10-song collection marks her first release on Conor Oberst’s Million Stars Records and unfolds like a hazy, cinematic narrative—songs acting as chapters that trace love, loss, fracture, and the quiet search for solace in the aftermath of personal upheaval. |
About the new single, Taylor explains: “For years, I would play this chord progression and melody; knowing it would be one of my favorite songs, but it took me 5 years to complete the lyrics. I had no sense of urgency… it was like I knew, somehow, the story was still unfolding and I just had to be patient.” The album began slowly with Taylor building songs from demos in her home studio, yet it was the spark of conflict that gave her the resolve and focus to complete the project. “After spending years working on this record, an irrevocable fracture in both my marriage and a friendship gave me the urgency to finish it. I think I needed to make something beautiful as things fell apart around me,” she explains. The project eventually moved to Mike Mogis’ ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska where Taylor played drums on much of the record (following her recent stint as a touring drummer with Bright Eyes), joined by Macey Taylor on bass and Mogis on guitar. The album was ultimately produced by Ben Brodin (First Aid Kit, Bright Eyes), who also recorded many of Taylor’s vocals and added much of the instrumentation. Longtime friend and collaborator Brad Armstrong (13 Ghosts, The Glass Hours) produced the pulsing single “Never Thought I’d Feel New” that sits at the very heart of the album. The album also features a handful of collaborators who Taylor has met throughout her career as the founding member of Azure Ray and her many solo recordings and touring projects including Conor Oberst, Nik Freitas, Mike Bloom, and more. Minnesota-based singer/songwriter Sally Dworksy joins Taylor in providing the layered, ethereal harmonies that weave throughout the album. The shimmering, panoramic strings were arranged and recorded by Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes, First Aid Kit) at 64 Sound Studios in Los Angeles with Pierre DeReeder (Rilo Kiley). In the end, Story’s End became an emotional lifeline for Taylor that helped find meaning and connectedness to the small, fleeting, ephemeral moments that make up a life, a person, even a family. “I was writing to have anything to do, making music with anyone who would make it with me,” she says. “I think I needed this, to whatever degree, to save my life.” Story’s End tracklist: |
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