Julien Baker – Turn Out the Lights

Softly spoken, with a gloomy backdrop; this is a recurring theme in Julien’s songs. Self-loathing, emotive, and desperate; this is how Julien portrays herself. “There’s a hole in the drywall, still not fixed.” The drywall, for lack of better understanding, could easily represent the young woman’s heart, which seems to break into more and more pieces as the minutes roll on. Her vocals then climb higher and higher until her words latch onto the listener’s mind at which point the feeling is total empathy. “Nobody’s worried about me.” This record is an exercise in relatability, because great singer-songwriters provide this sentiment, and we’ve all been there.