TORRES

on her sophomore, a punishing self-examination of epic spiritual & musical proportions, Mackenzie Scott pushes herself to even noisier extremes & as such will awaken the senses of those who love the more raucous end of pj harvey's oeuvre.

The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter waits until anything - an idea, an emotion, a memory - gnaws at her, tearing at her fingers & throat until she releases it in song. Her husky voice strains against its human biological constraints like a wild-eyed horse, whispering desperately “Don’t give up on me just yet” on one end & yowling about jealousy with unnerving intensity on the other. the production comes courtesy of portishead's adrian utley & rob ellis (pj harvey's producer / drummer) & as such we get a record that is as spacious & taut as it is visceral & disturbing. if ema's work excites you or if you loved she keeps bees' 'eight houses' as much as we did, you'll love 'sprinter'. "exemplarary" 8/10 album of the month - uncut.