Austin-based artist Taylor Rae released her new album The Void, produced by Grammy-winning artist/producer Eric Krasno (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Soulive, Lettuce).
The anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed debut Mad Twenties, The Void is an immersive and wildly eclectic album that both confirms Rae’s status as an Americana A-lister as well as reaches far beyond the genre’s borders. Stream or purchase The Void HERE.
âThe Void came from one of the most intense and transformative periods of my lifeâ stated Rae. âI was processing heartbreak, change, and deep personal reflection, and writing these songs helped me make sense of it all. At times, it truly felt like I was staring into the void â and instead of turning away, I wrote through it. This album is the most honest Iâve ever been.â
The Void arrives after Rae made her stand-out debut at SXSW, which prompted NPR Music to name her to their Best of SXSW 2025 list and Austin Monthly to feature her as a Must-See Local Artist at SXSW 2025.
Highlights from The Void include the âswampy country funkâ (Holler) juggernaut “Maybe Iâm The Villain“, as well as the lustful and longing “Cologne“, which Magnet Magazine raved as âthe sort of bluesy sway Robert Plant and Alison Krauss lock into with their take on Randy Weeksâ âCanât Let Go,â from Lucinda Williamsâ Americana masterpiece, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road.â Rae also recently released the single “Telluride“, featuring a guest appearance by Grammy-nominated artist Sierra Hull, which Relix called âeasy listening and an ideal track for a journey on the road or of the heartâ
Hailed by No Depression as “a singer fully in command of her vocal gifts and a songwriter who enfolds her lyric sensibility in haunting musical sketches,” Rae has spent years touring behind her career-launching debut, driving herself from show to show, watching America unfold outside the car windshield. While crisscrossing the country and playing over 200 gigs a year, including supporting artists such as Sierra Hull, Pokey LaFarge, The Head and the Heart, John Craigie, Band of Heathens, and The Brothers Comatose, she watched Mad Twenties become a national hit. The record wound up spending more than 30 weeks on the Americana Radio charts. No other independently-released album enjoyed a longer stay on the Americana charts.
Now with her sophomore release, Rae takes her eyes off the road and turns her attention inward. Filled with the most personal songs of her career, The Void is a sharply-written record that celebrates the contradictory and complementary parts of the human experience, exploring life’s dark corners â from breakups to intergenerational trauma â with a colorful mix of roadhouse roots-rock, modern-day folk, alternative music, blues, and analog Americana. Anchored by a songwriting style that explores the uncharted spaces between genres, she took inspiration from the roots of American music while also maintaining a modern edge.
Recorded out of Krasnoâs studio in Pasadena, The Void features songs that are vulnerable, self-examinations rooted in loss and heartbreak, while others are celebrations of new love. Together, they explore the contrasts that have filled Raeâs life of late: darkness and light, chaos and balance, closed doors and new beginnings. The result is a stunning blend of cinematic slow-burners, self-empowerment anthems, raw stripped-down field recordings, bluegrass-inspired barn-burners, and even the occasional reggae rhythm.
As the sound fades into the ether, we’re reminded that the road goes on forever, shuttling us from the past toward whatever future lies ahead. The Void is the soundtrack to that unending journey, whipped into existence by a singer/songwriter who’s dedicated to the long haul.