From the very first moment, everyone in the room was fully invested in Julien Baker’s performance. The beginning of her set had us all in a stupefied silence, breaking only to applaud at the end of each song. Baker plucked her guitar strings with such control that it cut through me, like a bitter wind. She took care to sing with that same amount of precision, coming to an overwhelming climax during “Rejoice,” from her debut album, Sprained Ankle. “I rejoice! I rejoice!” she wailed, the crowd proudly singing along with her at this point.
Sawdust & Gin 