Julien Baker’s 2015 debut album, Sprained Ankle, and its 2017 follow-up, Turn Out the Lights, centered the singer-songwriter’s sometimes fragile but always sincere voice as she journeyed through addiction and came to terms with her sexuality and spirituality. Her songs were bold in their lyrical honesty and unadorned presentation: Sprained Ankle featured just Baker and her guitar, and while Turn Out the Lights added guest violin and woodwinds, it still focused on her singing, which wedded her sadness and struggles to guitar-driven melodies.…
Julien Baker’s 2015 debut album, Sprained Ankle, and its 2017 follow-up, Turn Out the Lights, centered the singer-songwriter’s sometimes fragile but always sincere voice as she journeyed through addiction and came to terms with her sexuality and spirituality. Her songs were bold in their lyrical honesty and unadorned presentation: Sprained Ankle featured just Baker and her guitar, and while Turn Out the Lights added guest violin and woodwinds, it still focused on her singing, which wedded her sadness and struggles to guitar-driven melodies.…