Julien Baker & TORRES’ ‘Send A Prayer My Way’ was written and sung in the best of the outlaw tradition—defiant, subversive, working class, and determined to wrestle not only with addiction, regret and bad decisions, but also with oppressive systems of power. Mercifully, this is only the beginning of the stories TORRES and Baker are determined to tell. Because these are also songs about radical empathy and second chances, and third chances, and while there’s plenty of struggle and regret in here, there’s also humor and defiance.
‘Send A Prayer My Way’ has been in the works for years. Imagine two young musicians playing their first show together at Lincoln Hall, a much-loved venue here in Chicago. It’s January 15, 2016, and bone chillingly cold outside, especially for a couple of southerners. When the show is over and they’re shooting the shit, one singer says to the other, “We should make a country album.” This is the origin story, the stuff of legend in the world of country music, and the beginning of a collaboration between two artists already admired for their spare, elegant lyrics as well as the courage to share their struggles with those who love their music. It’s also the beginning of creating a work that, like the most enduring country albums, sustains and inspires, reminding both singer and listener that not one of us is ever totally alone in this world, that music is a steady companion.
Praise for “Sugar in the Tank” “Magnificent.” - Stereogum “Straightforward country... perfectly suits the all-out declarations of love.” - The New York Times “A twangy cut that pulls at the heartstrings.” - Rolling Stone “The track honors the pair’s roots as a twangy entrance into a countrified space... in turn, making it something uniquely their own.” - Relix
TRACK LIST:
01. Dirt 02. The Only Marble I've Got Left 03. Sugar in the Tank 04. Bottom of a Bottle 05. Downhill Both Ways 06. No Desert Flower 07. Tape Runs Out 08. Off the Wagon 09. Tuesday 10. Showdown 11. Sylvia 12. Goodbye Baby
