Song of the Day: TORRES - Sprinter

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today's song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Sprinter” by TORRES from the 2015 album Sprinter on Partisan Records.

TORRES - Sprinter (MP3)

Plenty of artists work with loud volumes, but very few can paint as deftly and incisively the way that Mackenzie Scott does under the moniker TORRES. Growing up in Georgia, Scott first pursued musical endeavors within her church and high school theatre, and later attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. While in Nashville, Scott played basements, coffee houses, and anywhere else that she could find space to air her songs, some of which comprised her first record, 2012's self-titled, self-released affair. Upon release, the album found a degree of critical acclaim, which led to tours with Lady Lamb, Hamilton Leithauser, and Sharon Van Etten (whose 2014 album Are We There features Scott on backing vocals). After releasing a single in 2014, Scott returned in 2015 with her sophomore outing Sprinter, which featured more full-band performances and lyrics steeped in theological and philosophical questioning.

The album's title track is one of the louder songs on the album, but it's no less direct or intimate than any of Scott's quiet revelations. Across a tense and steady rhythm, Scott lays down a stark, straightforward narrative of her upbringing in the conservative, religious Deep South and the aftermath of those events. It's a harrowing tale, both in its detail and universality, but it's the chilling final lines that leave the biggest impact: "there's freedom to/and freedom from... if there's still time I'll choose the sun/I'll run it back to everyone". The wounded optimism that drips from Scott's voice as she delivers the song's final couplet is nothing short of breathtaking, and it makes the open-ended conclusion of "Sprinter" all the more moving.

TORRES was just in Seattle last month, but she still has a handful of North American and European dates left in support of Sprinter. Look for videos from the KEXP session this week and keep up with TORRES on her website and Facebook page. For now, watch the official video for "Sprinter" here: