Julien Baker - Little Oblivion

Release Date: February 26, 2021
Genre: Indie folk

I became a fan when I saw the album cover to "Sprained Ankle" and I thought, this is aesthetically pleasing, but there was a point on the record where I just paused and asked myself, "dang, is she okay?" Depressing lyrics aren't new, but it was just her and her guitar that made the words impactful. The positive reviews on her second album made me feel that critics were correcting their mistakes for sleeping on her debut, so I had trouble agreeing with the more electric guitar sounds on "Turn Out the Lights."

Review: Truthfully, I wasn't expecting anything new here, but because I did gloss over her 2nd album, I have faint memories of what it sounded like.  Opening with "Hardline," no surprises, I thought it sounded like a Julien Baker song because of how it kept trying to light fireworks. But hearing the opening notes on the next few songs, it's comforting, I know it's not interesting, but I was drawn in. "Heatwave" has this interesting instrumental melody, like it came from some heart-rate monitor. I love the build up for "Faith Healer" and those swirling sounds. "Relative fiction" has this consistency as it marches towards the end.

I don't want to sound redundant, her voice has this vulnerable-ness to it, but I also feel like her voice is limited when she tries those high notes. The album is very tight with its sound, like they all give off the same colors, same mood, same world. I will highlight the song, "Favor." I didn't know it was a pre-release single, but I instantly knew it was a stand out because it sounded like it was ready to be heard by itself.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Hardline 7/10
2. Heatwave 10/10
3. Faith Healer 9/10
4. Relative Fiction 10/10
5. Crying Wolf 9/10
6. Bloodshot 8/10
7. Ringside 7/10
8. Favor 10/10
9. Song in E 7/10
10. Repeat 7/10
11. Highlight Reel 7/10
12. Ziptie 8/10

Summary: Perhaps this is me correcting myself for not giving her 2nd album a chance, but this album opened my eyes to her previous works. I was mostly a fan of her acoustic guitar songs, but I get it now, and once I get it, listening to the whole album is an easy task.

Key Tracks: Heatwave, Relative Fiction, Favor
Rating: 8/10