Jessica Pratt

With a unique, folk-inflected musical style that many found hard to pin down, Jessica Pratt emerged onto the San Francisco music scene in the late '00s. Born in Redding, California in 1987, Pratt first expressed her interest in music when she was 15 by picking up the Fender Stratocaster that her brother had given up learning to play. She began playing along with the classic glam rock album by the band T-Rex, Electric Warrior, and before long was writing her own songs as well. In 2007, Pratt moved to San Francisco and began recording her songs on analog tape. Pratt's music eventually caught the ear of singer/songwriter Tim Presley, who happened to be the brother of Pratt's roommate. Presley felt that Pratt's songs were strong enough to be heard by many, and founded Birth Records in order to release her 2012 self-titled debut, which consisted of the songs Pratt had originally recorded on tape. The record sold out its initial 500 pressings in just two weeks and caught the attention of major outlets like Pitchfork and PopMatters. She followed the release up with 2014's On Your Own Love Again and 2019's Quiet Signs on the indie label Mexican Summer.