Katie Pruitt’s sophomore album, ‘Mantras,’ delves deep into themes of self-discovery, compassion, and finding inner peace. Following her acclaimed debut, ‘Expectations,’ which explored her experiences growing up queer in the Christian South, Pruitt’s latest offering continues to resonate with listeners on a profound level.
Born and raised in Georgia, Pruitt discovered her passion for music at a young age, influenced by the rich musical heritage of the South. After relocating to Nashville to pursue her musical career, Pruitt quickly made a name for herself in the vibrant songwriting community of Music City. Drawing inspiration from her personal experiences, Pruitt’s songs explore themes of identity, love, and resilience with honesty and depth.
Pruitt gained recognition for her acclaimed debut album ‘Expectations,’ released in 2020. The album garnered praise for its candid portrayal of Pruitt’s journey as a queer woman navigating the complexities of her upbringing in the Christian South. Songs like ‘Expectations’ and ‘Loving Her’ resonated with listeners for their authenticity and emotional depth.
New album, ‘Mantras’, mainly produced by Collin Pastore and Jake Finch, showcases Pruitt’s empathetic storytelling and introspective lyricism against a backdrop of folk-leaning melodies and indie-rock influences. With tracks like ‘All My Friends (Are Finding New Beliefs)’ and ‘White Lies, White Jesus and You,’ Pruitt confronts issues of identity and hypocrisy in religion with raw honesty and soulful instrumentation. The former opens the album in fine style, like a mix of Kacey Musgraves, Fleetwood Mac and Alanis Morissette pointing a scathing finger at the ‘woo hoo’ nature of society these days given ‘everybody’s hooked on something.’ ‘White Lies………,’ meanwhile, is a truly original slice of Country-Folk-Rock that explores the fallacies and hypocrisy of organised religion. Classic 80s Fleetwood Mac vibes abound when the drums and guitars kick in and there’s some atmospheric Dire Straits-esuqe guitar flourishes that enhance the general 80s mood too.
Throughout ‘Mantras,’ Pruitt delves into her personal journey of overcoming self-doubt and negative thought patterns. Songs like ‘Self Sabotage’ and ‘Blood Related’ explore themes of inner conflict and familial relationships, while tracks like ‘Naive Again’ and ‘Worse Case Scenario’ offer glimpses of hope and resilience amidst uncertainty. ‘Self Sabotage’ is another wistful, Kacey Musgraves adjacent song dripping in melodic power as it explores self identity and self love whilst ‘Blood Related’ delves deep into societal expectations and pressures on women. ‘It’s a viscous cycle that nobody can escape,’ Pruitt concludes.
Elsewhere there’s a kind of Counting Crows esque feel as Pruitt employs meaningful lyrics alongside impactful melodies. The aforementioned ‘Worst Case Scenario’ is a fine example of this. There’s a heavier, grungier tone to the guitars here as Pruitt declares that ‘Life is one long, dragged out death sentence’ as she ponders whether positive mantras and manifesting would help her be more open and accepting. That wonderful mix of having something important to say in a 4 minute melodic package that you can sing along to is a rare gift, but Pruitt has it in spades. Both Adam Duritz (the lead singer of Counting Crows) and Kacey Musgraves would be proud of songs like ‘Phases of the Moon’ too. There’s some ‘Nights in White Satin’ organ and Bluesy guitars to be found on this track alongside the late night / starry sky feel as Pruitt sings about change, growth and self acceptance whilst ‘Naive Again’ sees Pruitt declare ‘I don’t believe in fairytales, now I’ve seen behind the veil,’ on a song about the loss of innocence that, cleverly, also has a childlike xylophone solo!
As the album unfolds, Pruitt’s narrative evolves from tension and fear to acceptance and stillness, culminating in the quietly luminous closing track, ‘Standstill,’ another quieter opportunity for thought and reflection as she pleads for time and space to process the world around her and encourages us all to do the same. Through her music, Pruitt invites listeners to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and self-love, offering a sense of solace and hope in the midst of life’s challenges.
Pruitt’s ability to emote on such a deep and relatable is what makes ‘Mantras’ stand out as it does – it’s clear that she has experienced a lot of negativity and dogmatic thinking in her life and has been able to work through that, in a musical form that is both impactful and yet entertaining. Taylor Swift can do it and so can Kacey Musgraves. ‘Mantras’ is that good, it deserves to be mentioned alongside such industry titans. A masterclass of genre-blending styles and introspective & insightful observations on the human condition means that everyone from fans of Folk music, through Country to Indie singer-songwriter Pop should be able to find something that speaks to them on this unique and original album.
Tracklist: 1. All My Friends 2. White Lies, White Jesus and You 3. Self Sabotage 4. Leading Actress 5. Jealous of the Boys 6. Blood Related 7. Naive Again 8. The Waitress 9. Worst Case Scenario 10. Phases of the Moon 11. Standstill Record Label: Rounder Records Release Date: April 5th Buy ‘Mantras’ right now
This article contains an affiliate link. Purchases through this link may result in us earning a commission.
