Gone Country

TWO SONGWRITERS JOIN FORCES FOR THREE CHORDS AND THEIR TRUTH

By Matt Hendrickson

It started almost as a joke. When Julien Baker and Mackenzie Scott (who records under the name TORRES) met backstage for the first time after a show in Chicago eight years ago, their small talk veered toward their love of country music. A few years later, as a lark, Scott suggested they make a record in the style of Willie and Waylon. “I was worried that Julien would say no, and I cannot stand rejection,” Scott says. “So I framed it as, ‘Wouldn’t that be hilarious if we made a country record?’ And Julien was like, ‘Oh, hell yeah, I’m gonna send you some demos.’ Well, in that case, I was totally serious.” It’s a good thing she asked: Because thirty-nine seconds into the sparse ballad “Dirt”—the opening track of…

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Garden & Gun (Digital) - 1 Issue, April/May 2025

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