Little Oblivions
A massive sonic expansion into full-band indie rock. Julien Baker trades her signature minimalist guitar loops for thunderous drums, synths, and raw catharsis.
A massive sonic expansion into full-band indie rock. Julien Baker trades her signature minimalist guitar loops for thunderous drums, synths, and raw catharsis.
Full band expansion
A dense, self-constructed wall of sound replaces the solitary guitar frames of previous records, as driving drum kits, pulsing basslines, and rich analog synthesizers crowd the mix. Piling these instruments on top of each other in a solitary recording process, the songs translate the chaotic noise of internal struggle into heavy, post-rock-tinged arrangements. The voice no longer floats in an empty room; instead, it fights its way through a thick, layered instrumentation that mirrors the overwhelming scale of the lyricism.
Her delivery rises to an intense, cathartic peak as she strains against the new, thunderous instrumentation to deliver her most raw and desperate vocal performances yet.
Critics widely celebrated the album's expanded, full-band instrumentation, which beautifully elevates the songwriter's characteristically honest and searching narratives. Reviewers were deeply moved by the record's emotional vulnerability, finding its willingness to explore painful themes both captivating and comforting.
“One of the best young singer-songwriters in indie rock reaches for a bigger sound on her third LP”Read review
“The singer-songwriter upgrades her erstwhile folk style to accommodate a harder rock approach”Read review
“On her third album, Julian Baker’s self-lacerating storytelling gets a more expansive canvas to work with. The big, full-band sound makes all the small moments of pain surreptitiously devastating”Read review
“Merciless self-criticism is largely contained within the bounds of indie rock on Baker’s out-there third album”Read review
“Unlike her earlier work, the Tennessee musician’s third album features a full band, taking her anguished stories to greater heights”Read review
“Rarely does an artist so eagerly present themselves in relentlessly un-pretty circumstances, that it makes listening equally as uncomfortable and as it is captivating”Read review
“This is sensitive, heartfelt and resolute rock music that shuffles its feet while looking at the stars”Read review
“Little Oblivions is generous and giving; it’s not only a public display of personal catharsis, but also an act of collective commiseration and an invitation to heal”Read review
“This is the kind of album you make eye-to-eye with the abyss, much like the one we’ve all been staring into for a year or more, except the apocalypse on Little Oblivions is plainly internal”Read review
“A dazzling record with a crushing sense of beauty”Read review
“The expanded sonic palette reimagines the possibilities of her music and makes for Baker’s most dynamic work yet”Read review
“Despite the bigger sound on average, however, Baker’s brutal lyrical authenticity remains the main attraction”Read review
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