Jess Ray is a singer/songwriter and producer from North Carolina, the land of ocean, woods, rolling hills, and mountains. In 2015, Ray released her full length debut, Sentimental Creatures, a record which features her on everything from guitar to the trumpet. Diverse as her home state, Sentimental Creatures is an enchanting blend of indie pop vibes and lyric-driven sensibility, a new brand of music she’s affectionately dubbed “friendly folk.” Ray’s music, much like herself, occupies two worlds effortlessly. Intensely spiritual yet deeply grounded, her songs soar with hope without ignoring the reality of our human struggle.

Three years later, Ray headed back to the studio to record her sophomore album, Parallels + Meridians. While there are some familiar elements present (like loopy, textured acoustics, weepy pedal steel, and subtle, smooth harmonies), P+M feels like new territory for the artist, whose writing has ventured much further into the space between people. It’s this connection — to one another as well as our connection to God — that dominates the landscape of P+M. In her signature alto, Ray sings of her own heartbreak and joy with an authenticity that only comes from real life. Parallels + Meridians is available everywhere on February 1, 2019.