Phenomenal singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt released her debut album Expectations with a full head of steam behind her. Though it came out just a couple of weeks before COVID took hold, that hasn’t dimmed her star a bit. She rode out pandemic lockdown and kept on trucking, touring extensively — including dates with Brandi Carlile — and working on her next LP.
Last month, she gave us a peek at it with the single “Blood Related,” and today she’s followed it up with “White Lies, White Jesus and You.” The song, a staple of Pruitt’s live show for a good while, is gentle. But it pulls absolutely zero punches in calling out the hypocrisy of those who preach love in the name of Jesus while either actively spewing hate at the LGBTQ community or turning a blind eye. As a queer woman in the South, Pruitt has had plenty of direct experience with these kinds of folks. In the second verse, she sings: “If you say that Jesus gives you peace of mind / That’s a good enough reason for me / And if it really helps you get some sleep at night / I’d kill for a little of that that peace.”
“I wrote ‘White Lies, White Jesus & You’ about shedding any remaining shame associated with the church,” Pruitt writes in a release. “It’s an intentional protest song rejecting the narrative that the Bible’s purpose is to gate-keep or oppress. I hope it serves as a reminder to anyone who has ever been hurt by religion, that spirituality is yours to define for yourself and no institution can take that away from you.”
Alexa King Stone and Stephen Kinigopoulos’ music video for the song follows a young woman’s struggle to process trauma. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear how the rejection of queer kids in conservative Christian settings keeps rippling out.
The video comes with the formal announcement of Pruitt’s new record Mantras, recorded in Nashville with producers Jake Finch and Collin Pastore and an ace band. The album is out April 5; check with your favorite record store or peruse this handy link for all the preorder information. Pruitt’s also hitting the road throughout the spring, and will return to Music City with a stop at Brooklyn Bowl on May 23; tickets go on sale Jan. 19 at 10 a.m.