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One of 2021’s Best Records is An Intimate Breakup Breakthrough Slate 3/3/2021 Carl Wilson © Provided by Slate Musican Julien Baker performs onstage during FYF Fest 2016 at Los Angeles Sports Arena on August 28, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Every music lover knows that there are some artists who don’t connect with you, no matter how much you try. But as I’ve learned over time as a critic, you can find inroads to appreciating artists and even whole genres that don’t initially appeal to you—for instance, by investigating their cultu...

Every music lover knows that there are some artists who don’t connect with you, no matter how much you try. But as I’ve learned over time as a critic, you can find inroads to appreciating artists and even whole genres that don’t initially appeal to you—for instance, by investigating their cultural contexts, and trying to open your ears to the ways their core audiences hear them. It’s trickier with an artist beloved by people whose tastes you tend to share, whose music doesn’t stray far from what you already like. These more elusive distastes don’t sustain the same exploratory cu...

Baker’s latest is a gut punch that comes out swinging, once again providing some of the most cathartic indie rock in the game, as well as her most anthemic songs to date.

Little Oblivions reflects upon the chaos we are currently living through, as well as a reflection of Baker’s own run-ins with adversity.

Little Oblivions, is a statement of intent. Throughout her 2015 debut, Sprained Ankle, and its excellent follow-up, Turn Out The Lights, sparsity was the watchword. If you've ever been to one of her intimate live shows, you'll know this: alone on stage, she uses only a guitar, a keyboard and a loop pedal. It means that her heart-on-sleeve lyrics – which are forthright about addiction and depression – stand out above all else. Take her biggest hit, "Appointments", a heartbreaking self-doubt ballad whose stunning crescendo is achieved solely with a switch to a near-scream – the...