In This Moment released Black Widow on November 17, 2014. Their fifth studio album was their first for Atlantic Records, with Kevin Churko returning as producer. Maria Brink arrived with plans that extended from the songs to the videos and live production, but the pressure initially left her struggling to write.
The lead single “Sick Like Me” introduced a central theme: finding acceptance in another person without hiding the parts of yourself you’ve been taught to dislike. Brink explained that relationship in a 2014 RockUrLife interview, while guitarist Chris Howorth singled out the song’s groove, heavy guitars and melodic singing. Its official music video arrived in October 2014.
That confidence hadn’t come easily. In an October 2014 interview published by Loudwire, Brink said she worried that a major label might reject the finished album or demand more radio-friendly material. She estimated that the anxiety stalled her writing for two or three weeks. Atlantic’s actual response was supportive: “They didn’t compromise anything we were doing whatsoever,” she said. Writing “Natural Born Sinner” helped her relax and regain her confidence. The song nearly supplied the album’s title, too. Brink told Backseat Mafia in March 2015 that she considered using its name, but kept returning to the black widow character she pictured with a large hat and claws. She presented that image to Howorth and the band, drawing on her own experiences to give it a story.
The music developed through equally specific images. Speaking to RockUrLife, Brink described asking the band to listen to an instrumental without vocals and consider whether it already communicated an emotion. She might suggest something as vivid as Godzilla moving in slow motion to help Howorth imagine the weight of a passage. Howorth said songs grew from individual riffs or melodies that he, Brink and Churko developed together. He also wanted fresh guitar sounds and arrangements after Blood. The production partnership stayed intact as they reconsidered how the songs should sound.
“Sex Metal Barbie” made their willingness to experiment particularly clear. Brink told The Pop Break in April 2015 that she, her guitarist and her producer searched for her name online and collected hostile comments to use as lyrical material. She wanted to turn those attacks into something she could control. Musically, she imagined a hip-hop feel that would make people move, combined with the band’s heavy guitars. Howorth’s enthusiasm for trying it surprised her. The song’s provocation came from that combination of borrowed insults and a deliberately danceable approach, with Brink choosing how those words would be heard.
Those writing decisions also helped shape the performances. In the Backseat Mafia interview, Brink recalled picturing a podium and pink imagery while working on “Sex Metal Barbie,” then writing and drawing the ideas. For “Sick Like Me,” listening to the song suggested the spider legs used in the show. Costumes and staging were taking shape alongside the recordings, giving individual songs their own physical presentation.
Black Widow entered the Billboard 200 at No. 8, with roughly 36,000 copies sold in the United States during its first week. That improved on the No. 15 debut and approximately 20,000 opening-week sales of Blood in 2012.
