Album Review: Julien Baker & TORRES, Send A Prayer My Way

Julien Baker and TORRES’ new album has been in the works for years, dating back to a show in 2016, where the two musicians chewed over the idea of making a country record. And now, the end result has finally arrived.

Though neither artist was previously renowned for their Nashville influences, both are from Tennessee, and so the stylistic shift feels more natural than might be expected. Indeed, Send A Prayer My Way proves a top-notch offering, powerfully grappling with addiction, sexuality and remorse.

On the doomed queer love story ‘Tuesday’, TORRES mourns her titular lover, who denies her sexuality when interrogated by a parent: “Tuesday melted right down/ Asked me to write her mother and say, sorry for the confusion/ That of course there had been no sin/ To emphasise how much I love Jesus and men”.

Queer romance is a recurring theme throughout the record – a subversive stand to take considering the regressive state of US politics and southern conservatism. But like all the great country outlaws, Baker and TORRES are unafraid to forge new frontiers.

8/10

Out now