On Queer Country and Traitors

I’m back in Rolling Stone this week with a profile of Julien Baker and Torres pegged to the upcoming release of their excellent new country album Send a Prayer My Way. The full article is below, but first a few stray observations.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of either artist as a solo act. I was a fan of them in theory, because, like, we’re all lesbians here. But Baker’s serious, sad emo songs were too much for my pop-loving heart to handle, and Torres was never quite the songwriter I wanted her to be. But damn these two crush it as cowboys! They have a lot of fun both embracing and poking fun at country music here. It’s a warm hug and a flip of the bird in equal measure, a full-throated “you coulda had this!” pointed right at Nashville’s gatekeepers. If you’re a fan of Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams, or Uncle Tupelo, I guarantee you you’ll like this album.

Now, apologies, for the hard pivot, but can those of you who A. watch Traitors and B. have my phone number pleas…