Sprained Ankle
Studio album by
Julien Baker
ReleasedOctober 23, 2015 (2015-10-23)
RecordedSpacebomb Studios, Richmond, Virginia
Genre
Length33:33
Label6131 Records
Julien Baker chronology
Sprained Ankle
(2015)		 Turn Out the Lights
(2017)

Sprained Ankle is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Julien Baker. Originally self-released on Bandcamp as an EP, the album was re-released in October 2015 on 6131 Records. The album received critical acclaim and was placed on several lists of the best albums of 2015 and the 2010s as a whole. In 2020, Paste listed it as one of the best indie folk albums of all time. It is considered an influential work, with one retrospective review stating "In the half-decade since its initial release, Baker's name has become synonymous with the revitalization of ultra-personal singer-songwriters wearing their hearts on their sleeves."[1][2]

Development

The songs on Sprained Ankle were written by Baker while a student at MTSU. She thought her songwriting at the time did not "fit the vibe" of Forrister, her previous band, and did not intend to release them as an album.[3] Her friend, Michael Hegner, had free time at MTSU's studio and offered to record her songs. They made a demo, Hegner liked it, and they kept working together. In the summer of 2014,[4] they decided to take a road trip to Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia, where Hegner was interning, to record it.[3][5] In an interview with The Blue Indian, Baker said that "it was recorded really sparsely and efficiently to get the most out of the time there, which contributed to the way the songs come across."[6] The songs "Vessels" and "Brittle Boned" were later recorded by her friend, Toby Landers and added to the album.[4]

The record was first released as an EP on Bandcamp in the winter of 2014.[4][7] Its first cover art was designed by Baker and a friend. People started sharing the record, then Baker toured it and sold CDs.[8][9] 6131 Records liked her work and decided to sign her.[5] The record was taken down from Bandcamp on advice from Baker's label so that it could be mastered and formally released.[9]

Composition

Sprained Ankle is a folk and indie folk album with elements of emo, lo-fi, and country.[10][1][11][3][12] It is "made of sparse guitar (and piano) tunes about breakups, substance abuse, loneliness, physical and emotional pain, and enduring".[13] The album was written mostly in a soundproof booth in Middle Tennessee State University, where Baker was a student at the time. It was recorded "one-mic and one-take", with an intimacy that "feels like a violation of [Baker's] privacy".[14] "Go Home" features suicidal imagery and incorporates the hymn "In Christ Alone" and "bits of 'church radio' that accidentally fed into her preamp during recording".[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Arizona Daily SunA+[16]
Clash9/10[17]
Consequence of SoundB[15]
Drowned in Sound8/10[11]
Exclaim!9/10[18]
Pitchfork7.0/10[14]

The mastered versions of the songs "Sprained Ankle" (title track), "Something", and "Brittle Boned" premiered in advance on NPR's All Songs Considered, Stereogum, and Nylon respectively.[19][20][21] Sprained Ankle was re-released in October 2015 through 6131 Records. The Sabyn Mayfield-directed music video for "Sprained Ankle" was released on October 26.[3] It charted on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums at number 25 for the week of November 14.[22]

Gabriela Tully Claymore from Stereogum wrote that the songs were "unabashedly explicit, and Sprained Ankle discusses depression, substance abuse, and general crises of faith in detail."[3] On the guitar playing, Ian Cohen of Pitchfork wrote that "[Baker is] a minimalist, playing bassy clusters of melodic thirds, flicking silvery harmonics, [and] palm-muting chords."[14] It was recorded in a way that Adam Kevil from Consequence of Sound considers to be a simple format, "[Baker] alone, singing and playing acoustic guitar directly into the microphone, sometimes in a single take".[15]

Accolades for Sprained Ankle
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The 15 best albums of 2015
13
 [23]
BrooklynVegan 141 Best Albums of the 2010s
76
 [1]
Chorus.fm Chorus.fm's Top 50 Albums of the 2010s
25
 [24]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2015
49
 [25]
The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time
91
 [10]
Sputnikmusic Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
30
 [26]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2015
40
 [27]
Uproxx All The Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked
66
 [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Julien Baker

No.TitleLength
1."Blacktop"4:43
2."Sprained Ankle"2:22
3."Brittle Boned"3:37
4."Everybody Does"2:25
5."Good News"3:31
6."Something"3:52
7."Rejoice"3:33
8."Vessels"4:26
9."Go Home"5:04
Total length:33:33

Personnel

Credits for Sprained Ankle adapted from Bandcamp and AllMusic.[28][29]

  • Julien Baker – composer, primary artist
  • Michael Hegner – recording engineer (except for tracks 3 and 8)
  • Cody Landers – recording engineer (for tracks 3 and 8)
  • Josh Bonati – mastering engineer
  • Jake Cunningham – cover photography

Charts

Chart performance for Sprained Ankle
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[30] 23

References

  1. 1 2 3 "141 Best Albums of the 2010s". Brooklyn Vegan. December 31, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "All The Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked". Uproxx. October 7, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Claymore, Gabriela Tully (October 26, 2015). "Read An Interview With Young Phenom Julien Baker". Stereogum. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Mook, Aaron (November 10, 2015). "Interview: Julien Baker". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Chiu, David (December 9, 2015). "Julien Baker's 'Real Life' Music Tugs at the Heartstrings". PopMatters. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ Pritchard, Sean (December 1, 2015). "December 2015 'Band of the Month' – Julien Baker". The Blue Indian. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ Dodson, Claire (December 3, 2015). "Julien Baker's brand of sad rock 'n' roll reflects Memphis roots and a self-awareness all her own". Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ladd, Olivia (February 23, 2015). "From Memphis to Murfreesboro: Musician Julien Baker Shares Her Passion". Sidelines. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Townsend, Eileen (October 22, 2015). "Julien Baker Arrives". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time". Paste. 20 May 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Rindner, Grant (March 16, 2017). "Album Review: Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ Page, Andy (March 16, 2017). "Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle (Matador)". Godisinthetvzine. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Donelson, Marcy. "Sprained Ankle – Julien Baker". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 Cohen, Ian (November 5, 2015). "Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 Geffen, Sasha (December 1, 2015). "Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  16. ↑ Willie Cross (2015-11-12). "Vibewaves: Of the bleak and beautiful : Flaglive". Azdailysun.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  17. ↑ Butler, Will (March 23, 2017). "Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle". Clash. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  18. ↑ Williams, Matt (October 23, 2015). "Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Presley, Katie (July 21, 2015). "Song Premiere: Julien Baker, 'Sprained Ankle'". All Songs Considered : NPR. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  20. ↑ Claymore, Gabriela Tully (August 18, 2015). "Julien Baker – 'Something' (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  21. ↑ Barna, Ben (October 1, 2015). "Song Premiere: Julien Baker's 'Brittle Boned'". Nylon. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Julien Baker - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  23. ↑ "The 15 best albums of 2015". The A.V. Club. December 7, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  24. ↑ Manning, Craig (December 9, 2019). "Chorus.fm's Top 50 Albums of the 2010s". Chorus.fm. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Paste. 27 November 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of the 2010s". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  27. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". Stereogum. December 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Sprained Ankle | Julien Baker". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Sprained Ankle - Julien Baker". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Julien Baker Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
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