Katie Pruitt w/ Jack Van Cleaf at the Amsterdam

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 of chaos 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).

California-reared singer-songwriter Jack Van Cleaf writes determined and delicate songs with poetic slant and confessional warmth. At twenty-six, Van Cleaf has taken stage at legendary venues across the country including Mission Ballroom, The Ryman, The Pageant, Miller High Life Theatre and more. He has toured with artists such as Noah Kahan, Briston Maroney, Oliver Hazard, Field Guide, Annika Bennett, The Lagoons, and Taylor Ashton.

In his songs, folk imagination dresses in cinematic production, evoking the spacious and sparse verses of Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov. His music also echoes his heroes: a directness borrowed from Kris Kristofferson and lucid spirituality reminiscent of Cohen.