This year TORRES released her fifth album, Thirstier, which found Mackenzie Scott embracing anthemic heartland rock and '90s grunge for her most joyous, commanding record yet. You can listen below.
We asked TORRES if she'd tell us about her favorite things of 2021, and she gave us a Top 10 list featuring music (St. Vincent, Yasmin Williams), TV shows, effects pedals, books, binaural beats and more. Read her list, complete with commentary, below.
Having wrapped up a North American tour last month in NYC, TORRES will head to the UK and Europe in 2022. Those dates are listed below.
TORRES - TOP 10 THINGS OF 2021
1. Succession
This has got to be the funniest show I’ve ever seen. Its dynamics are as epic as any Shakespeare.
2. Daddy’s Home by St. Vincent
This is my favorite record of 2021. Annie is our forever genius.
3. On Freedom by Maggie Nelson
Maggie Nelson’s one of the smartest people alive, bar none. She masterfully weaves together cultural touch points to culminate in these mind-bendingly satisfying moments of “AH HA!” on nearly every page. She’s the kind of writer I’d like to be if I had the patience.
4. Binaural beats
If you saw me at any point this year with headphones on, chances are I was listening to binaural frequencies. I listen while I run, while I get ready to sleep, while I sit in the van on tour, while I shop for groceries, etc. I want to rewire my brain and body to function optimally and these frequencies help with almost anything if you put in the time. In conjunction with exercise and therapy, my anxiety, depression, physical pains, racing thoughts, and most other somatic and neurological afflictions have been reduced or even healed by using these frequencies.
5. PSYCHOPOMP by Haley Josephs
Haley is one of my favorite painters, and she made a show called PSYCHOPOMP earlier this year, which I was lucky enough to get to see in her studio in Brooklyn before the paintings shipped to Brussels.
6. Echosystem by Empress Effects
I just replaced my Empress Superdelay pedal with this Echosystem and it’s basically everything I want in a pedal with none of the headache. I won’t tell you which ones but I can probably drop 3-4 pedals from my board because this one does it all.
7. Alice Neel retrospective at the Met
I’d never seen any of Alice Neel’s paintings in person before this show. I got to see it early in the year with Jenna, my partner, and Mac from my record label and it was really special. It boggles the mind to see someone’s whole lifetime of work in a space like that, especially someone who was so fiercely dedicated and protective of her practice, at the expense of all else. There was a gravity to it.
8. Agnès V. par Jenna G.
Jenna Gribbon’s May 2021 show at Sim Smith gallery in London in collaboration with the Estate of Agnès Varda was one of the most lush and loving shows I’ve ever seen. I feel fortunate to have gotten to spend time in close proximity with these paintings before they shipped off to the U.K. and obviously I think Jenna is one of the most masterful painters of this century, particularly in regards to her use of light and confidence of her strokes and color choices. She’s a living genius.
9. Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams
This record was released early in 2021 and it’s brilliant. I think Yasmin is one of the greatest guitarists working today. I got the chance to meet her in Boise when we both played Treefort festival recently. She’s going to be huge!
10. Vulnerability
I’m a tough nut to crack but I’ve been in therapy recently and it’s pushed me to do a lot of the tough work on myself that I avoided for years. Being vulnerable was something I used to laugh about because I thought it was preposterous, this idea that we’re meant to essentially open ourselves up to being hurt by other humans. I’ve had to consciously shed a lot of obnoxious defense mechanisms like aloofness, aggression, sarcasm, and pride. I’m still working though a lot of this but I do notice that I like myself better now.
TORRES - 2022 TOUR DATES
Fri. March 11, 2022 - Glasgow, UK @ Mono
Sat. March 12, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Sun. March 13, 2022 - Manchester, UK @ Night & Day
Mon. March 14, 2022 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange
Tue. March 15, 2022 - London, UK @ Bush Hall
Thu. March 17, 2022 - Paris, FR @ La Boule Noire
Fri. March 18, 2022 - Gent, BE @ Charlatan
Sat. March 19, 2022 - Utrecht, NL @ Ekko
Mon. March 21, 2022 - Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club
Tue. March 22, 2022 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich (Turmzimmer)
Wed. March 23, 2022 - Cologne, DE @ Bumann & SOHN
Thu. March 24, 2022 - Heidelberg, DE @ Karlstorbahnhof
Fri. March 25, 2022 - Zürich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
Sat. March 26, 2022 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv