Katie Pruitt is living proof of music’s power to transform the way we experience the world. Soon after the arrival of her acclaimed debut Expectations—a 2020 LP on which she documented her journey in growing up queer in the Christian South—the Georgia-bred singer/songwriter/guitarist heard from countless listeners that her songs had impacted their lives on an elemental level. With her sophomore album Mantras, the Nashville-based musician now looks inward to explore such matters as gender identity, self-compassion or the lack thereof, and the struggle for peace in times ofchaos and uncertainty—ultimately arriving at a body of work that speaks to the strength in undoing harmful self-beliefs and fully living your truth.

Mainly produced by Collin Pastore and Jake Finch (known for their work with boygenius and Lucy Dacus), Mantras delves deeper into the empathetic storytelling and incisive self-examination that defined Expectations—an album that earned Pruitt a nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year from the Americana Music Association and drew praise from major outlets like Rolling Stone (who hailed Pruitt as a “dynamic new presence”) and Pitchfork (who noted that “[h]er songs are patient but determined, navigating serious subjects with quiet familiarity”). This time around, Pruitt sets her lived-in lyricism to a folk-leaning sound informed by her love for the more experimental edges of indie-rock, stacking her songs with plenty of propulsive grooves and overdriven guitars as well as working with musicians like string arranger Laura Epling (Orville Peck, Spencer Cullum).

Nashville singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt’s star continues to rise with the release of her sophomore album, “Mantras.”

The soulful Americana musician—known for songs “Out of the Blue,” “Expectations” and “Self Sabotage”—has been hitting the road on tour, promoting her new record. She recently performed at Stagecoach Festival and has toured through Canada, the West, Texas and more.

–

Hataałii (pronounced: hah – toth – lee) — the 21 year old artist from Window Rock, AZ that has attracted a following as “a master at conjuring a kind of Southwestern saudade” (Aquarium Drunkard), his new album Waiting For A Sign (September 13 / Dangerbird Records)

As Hataałii metes out his careful, artful lyrics that revel in uncanny particularities and the desire to know the unknowable, Waiting For A Sign recalls the gothic pop of Echo & The Bunnymen (“Something’s In The Air”), the grubby beauty of Silver Jews (“Alex Jones”), and the softer sonics from Spacemen 3 (“Burn”), all conveying an atmosphere of mystery and melancholy amid a mirage of short stories.

Waiting For A Sign is Hataałii’s second album for Dangerbird following 2023’s Singing Into Darkness and, counting an array of self-released projects, his sixth album since 2019. Singing Into Darkness won plaudits from SPIN (who called him “2023’s breakout star”), FLOOD (“Hataałii is utterly charming, disarmingly approachable, and delightful in his playfulness”), and KCRW, and was named one of Aquarium Drunkard’s favorite albums of the year.