Taylor Rae – The Void (Missing Piece) (13th Floor Album Review)
Before diving into the introspective themes of her sophomore album The Void, singer-songwriter Taylor Rae had already established herself as a rising force in the Americana scene.
Born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, Rae began her musical journey early, studying music in Los Angeles and launching her professional career with relentless drive. After graduating, she hit the ground running, performing over 200 gigs a year—honing her unique voice as both a performer and a songwriter on the road.
Eager to broaden her horizons, Rae eventually relocated to Austin, Texas—a move that marked a turning point in her musical evolution. Immersing herself in the city’s rich roots music culture while retaining her modern edge, she developed a genre-blending style that fluidly danced between roadhouse roots-rock, folk, blues, and analog Americana. It was in Austin that she wrote and recorded her debut album, Mad Twenties—a breakout release that spent over 30 weeks on the Americana Radio charts and earned her national recognition. Tracks like Home on the Road became staples of her high-energy live sets, showcasing her lyrical honesty and on-stage magnetism.
But as her career surged, her personal life began to unravel. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought an unexpected halt to touring and culminated in a difficult breakup, leaving her emotionally unmoored. These upheavals marked the beginning of a more reflective chapter for Rae. While touring behind Mad Twenties, she began crafting new songs that explored the contrasts between love and loss, chaos and clarity.
That personal reckoning would ultimately become the foundation for The Void—an album born from heartbreak, transformation, and an artist’s commitment to exploring the full spectrum of the human experience.
Browsing through the niche playlists Rae’s music falls into on Spotify, one in particular captured the essence of her sound: Rainy Summer Days. It’s a fitting label for an artist who weaves lyrics born from painful experiences into relaxing, reggae-tinted, upbeat melodies. A song like Undertone can have you reminiscing about a long-lost summer fling from your teenage years, all while watching the sun set through a rain-streaked window.
Her storytelling and lyrical depth are the highlights of the album. Set against a backdrop of smooth analog Americana guitar riffs and mellow bass lines, Rae takes listeners on a journey of constant motion—playing back-to-back shows, sleeping in unfamiliar towns, and longing for someone who feels like home, even when you don’t know when you’ll see them next.
The album begins and ends with two carefully crafted five-minute tracks. The opener, The Void, starts with a haunting acoustic intro that sets the album’s reflective tone. It’s a somber meditation on life’s punches, with Rae singing about learning to “settle in the unknown… to the void I go.” As the song unfolds, it gradually transforms into something more upbeat—a southern swirl of upright piano, side guitars, and rich vocal harmonies. The anxiety of the unknown shifts into an embrace of possibility. Carpe diem.
That’s the mood of the album as a whole—the highs and lows of The Void, or of tomorrow. From larger-than-life tracks like Maybe I’m the Villain, which carries a rebellious Bonnie-and-Clyde energy, to the longing ache of Cologne, where Rae describes missing her partner so deeply she sprays his favorite amber oil on her skin—each song captures a vivid emotional moment.
As The Airport Song brings The Void to a close, Rae ends the album the same way she began it—in motion. Last night’s show fades into the rearview mirror while a new, unknown stretch of road lies ahead. The song’s outro nods to the glory days of the 1970s—a time of mystical women, bell-bottomed blues, and searing classic rock guitar riffs. It’s an era Rae both reveres and reinvents across the record. But just before the final notes fade, we’re pulled back into the present.
The last moments are a simple, candid iPhone recording made in an airport—the crackle of an intercom reminding travelers about curbside parking and delayed arrivals. As the ambient noise dissolves into silence, one truth remains: the road never really ends.
It just keeps going—carrying us from where we’ve been to wherever we’re headed next. The Void is the soundtrack for that eternal journey, conjured by a singer-songwriter fully committed to chasing the horizon.
Azrie Azizi
Taylor Rae’s The Void is released today.
Taylor Rae
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