Torres – “Cowboy Guilt”
Most of the songs on Torres’ sophomore album Sprinter are aggressive, confused, and tumultuous. “Strange Hellos” and “Sprinter” boil with barely-masked rage, biting memories and spitting them back in scathing or scornful mouthfuls. “Cowboy Guilt” is a departure from those feelings. It taps into the South’s irresistibly strange hospitality and provides a comforting, playful contrast to the darker moments Mackenzie Scott has chronicled. Built off a sproingy, trampoline thrum, the track’s playful, lilting riff has a “Pop Goes The Weasel” air of satisfaction to it. This song makes Scott’s assertion that Sprinter is a “space cowboy” record seem spot on. “I wanted something that very clearly stemmed from my Southern conservative roots but that sounded futuristic and space-y at the same time,” she said. “Cowboy Guilt” is just that: childhood funneled into a single rumbling instant that bounces and grins in memory’s easy light. Listen below.