Julien Baker & TORRES - Send A Prayer My Way 

A record that’s ostensibly been on the horizon since Julien Baker and TORRES (aka Mackenzie Scott) first played together way back in 2016, ‘Send A Prayer My Way’ is in many ways a meeting of minds, a deeply evocative project emblematic of courage and queer community. It’s undeniable that country music is currently enjoying a moment in the sun - just look at Beyoncé and Chappell Roan’s recent output - but, much like their pop contemporaries, Julien and Mackenzie here offer much more than mere trend bandwagoning. Setting the tone for what follows - namely, a masterclass in devastating vulnerability - opener ‘Dirt’ is a raw admission of toxic habits and self-sabotage; when, half way through, Mackenzie’s lower register offers a response to Julien’s plaintive call, their melancholic harmony is nigh on heart-breaking. 
Drawing on longstanding tropes of the genre like addiction (‘Bottom Of The Bottle’; ‘Off The Wagon’) and rural landscapes (‘No Desert Flower’), the pair recontextualise country in contemporary, queer terms. At points, this means exploring the enduring scars of early romantic encounters (“And now I know that your shame was not mine / And I am perfect in my Lord’s eyes” affirms Mackenzie on ‘Tuesday’). At others, it entails coded references to the USA’s socio-political climate (“I can take more than a little rain / If the going’s tough I will not cower / And all the passing years won’t wash me away”, goes ‘No Desert Flower’). But amongst the heartache, there’s also genuine heart: just take lead single ‘Sugar In The Tank’, an understatedly euphoric ode to LGBTQ+ identity that takes its name from a Southern colloquialism for homosexuality.
Separately, Julien Baker and TORRES are both immersive, insightful songwriters in their own right; together, their partnership is a resounding testament to resilience and tentative hope.