Katie Pruitt
Katie Pruitt is doing something different with their second record — well, a lot of things, really. Mantras, out Friday via Rounder Records, explores far beyond the thematic and sonic territory scoped out on their 2020 debut Expectations. The new 11-song collection catapults Pruitt past the outer limits of Americana, showcasing their stellar lyricism and earth-shattering vocal prowess in the universe of rollicking indie rock.
Pruitt wrote all of Mantras’ songs and produced the record alongside Collin Pastore and Jake Finch. The two are best known for their work with Lucy Dacus and boygenius, but they’ve also worked together on outstanding releases from Bre Kennedy, Olivia Barton and Molly Martin. Mantras isn’t hard to identify as a Katie Pruitt record, but fans may also find it reminiscent of Dacus’ Home Video, since both have masterfully written musings on identity and growing up in a religious family.
It would be unfair to define Mantras as a breakup album, though the dissolution of a long-term relationship was a catalyst for Pruitt’s self-reflection. In fact, my conversation with Pruitt happened on Valentine’s Day, of all days — potentially painful timing. But the wounds exposed on the record are scars now, healed months since.
“There’s obviously a heartbreaking element to it,” says Pruitt. “And the songs about my relationship are definitely about, you know, somebody kind of slowly leaving. And that’s heartbreaking. But I think there’s kind of a silver lining to that. I don’t lose the things she taught me just because she’s gone.”
Much of the record navigates Pruitt’s search for validation from any and every source. Opener “All My Friends” sets this tone. Later, on “White Lies, White Jesus and You,” Pruitt wades into religion, while “The Waitress” and “Leading Actress” are concerned with romance and loss. Throughout, Pruitt confronts a crisis of identity, looking for answers around every corner.
“I felt like my whole life, I’ve been reaching for external validation,” they say, “whether that’s with religion, or whether that’s with, like, pleasing grandparents, or just any adults in my life. And then I think it went from, like, pleasing a God to pleasing a girl. … It never changed, though. I think I hit a point where I was like, ‘I need this to come from inside of me.’ I need this love and this validation to [be] intrinsic instead of extrinsic.”
Pruitt examines their journey in great detail, and the record culminates with a deep sense of acceptance and inner peace — a willingness to stand firm and accept the throes of life. As Pruitt sings in “Phases of the Moon,” a sweeping ballad built up with luscious strings and their singularly moving vocals: “I’m not searching for a sign / I am learning every time the fire dies / Something new comes to replace it.”
As remarkable a debut as Expectations is, Mantras exhibits exponential growth in every aspect. Pruitt’s voice has grown stronger, and their lyrics have matured with grace. Most impressive of all is the sonic expansion of the new record. Where their debut record was beautifully simple, the follow-up is layered and complex, playing with new sounds and stretching beyond the confines of any genre you care to pick, even one as broad as Americana.
There are still plenty of spots on the record where things are uncomplicated — lead single “Blood Related” being a prime example — but driving rock choruses and an expanded palette of instruments bring even more beauty to the expression. Listen for a toy xylophone; elsewhere, there’s an organ, a hauntingly beautiful reminder of the album’s religious reckoning. Pruitt says their collaborators encouraged this expansion, aiming for a messier, more honest sound.
“I love the first record,” they say. “It’ll have a special place in my heart. But I felt like it was very polished and clean-sounding. And I was like, ‘I kind of want to get a little grittier.’ And it was nice that [my co-producers] pushed me, because I feel like I sometimes latch on and try to sound too perfect. And they’re like, ‘No, it’s a great vocal, just stick to it.’ Like, all right — I’m committing.”
“Committing” might be the best way to describe the theme of Mantras. I joke with Pruitt about the record’s thesis being “breaking up with Jesus and your girlfriend,” but boiled down to its essence, Mantras is about committing to yourself. It’s a difficult process, but an essential one — learning to exist without leaning, to stand firm and still where your feet are planted. Pruitt’s own grounding practice of reciting mantras into the mirror is referenced throughout the album, from the very first track to the last. And they have a mantra to share with everyone else too.
“‘Just be kind to yourself.’ I know that that’s, like, so basic, but it all starts there. The whole process of writing this record was much of me relearning how to do it — and realizing that it all starts [there] and reaches out.”
