Memphis songstress Julien Baker will play her debut New Zealand show at The Tuning Fork in Auckland on Sunday 23 July.

21-year old guitarist, engineer and singer/songwriter Julien Baker has had a remarkable couple of years and it is safe to say she is on a roll. Baker’s signature sound is deeply poetic, heartbreaking and raw. Her debut album, Sprained Ankle, released in 2015 is a memorable nine-tack gem of austere indie-folk filled with melancholic beauty. The recipient of considerable critical acclaim, this album pushed her into the limelight landing her in Rolling Stone’s “10 New Artists You Need to Know: November 2015”.

Putting her English major at Middle Tennessee State University on hold to tour the world, she recently signed with legendary indie record label Matador, home to prominent artists such as Yo La Tengo, Cat Power and Interpol, among many others. Sprained Ankle was re-released via Matador on 17 March and includes a previously unreleased single “Funeral Pyre,” which Baker debuted in her NPR Tiny Desk Concert. “Funeral Pyre” is also the title-track and A-side for Baker’s new single also released on the 17 March which contains another previously unreleased track; “Distant Solar System”.

Fresh from her performance at Splendour in the Grass performance in Australia, Kiwi fans will finally have the chance to listen live to Baker’s spine-tingling songs from her debut album Sprained Ankle, as well as new material including tracks such as “Funeral Pyre” and “Distant Solar Systems”.

Julien Baker

Sunday July 23rd: The Tuning Fork, Auckland 

Tickets via Ticketmaster

MyTicketmaster presale Friday 28 April, 11am

General onsale, Monday 1 May, 9am