Folk’s modern muse Jensen McRae has revealed the release date for her highly anticipated sophomore album, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!, set to drop on April 25 via Dead Oceans. Alongside the announcement, she’s dropped her newest single and video, “Praying For Your Downfall,” a masterclass in candor that blends snark and charm as McRae reflects on letting go of the impulse for revenge against someone who broke her heart. It’s not about wishing them well—it’s about no longer caring enough to wish them ill.
Set against the backdrop of heartbreak, self-discovery, and the complexities of love, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me! is a bold evolution for the young artist. The eleven-track album, recorded in North Carolina with Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver) and featuring contributions from Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matthew McCaughan (Bon Iver), and her brother Holden McRae, is a vibrant collection of songs anchored by razor-sharp lyrics and timeless pop melodies.
McRae’s voice is as versatile as her songwriting—wispy and textured at times, clear and bright at others. It’s a voice that embodies both the heartbreak of being left and the strength of doing the leaving. The album’s title, inspired by a line from Back to the Future, reflects McRae’s resilience: “I could’ve easily collapsed beneath the weight of what happened to me, but I didn’t. I was bulletproof the whole time.”
Following the release of her latest album, Jensen McRae will embark on an extensive North American and European/UK tour in Spring 2025, bringing her signature blend of raw lyricism and soulful melodies to stages across the globe. The North American leg kicks off on May 3 in Philadelphia, PA, with stops in major cities like New York, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In June, McRae will take her evocative storytelling overseas for a string of shows across Europe, with dates in Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, and Bristol. General public tickets go on sale Friday, February 28, at 10 AM local time at jensenmcrae.com
At just 27, Jensen McRae has already toured with Noah Kahan, MUNA, Amos Lee, and Corinne Bailey Rae, graced a Times Square billboard, and served as the cover of Spotify’s Today’s Singer-Songwriters playlist. A graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music and a GRAMMY Camp alum, McRae is carving out space for young Black women in the folk genre with unflinching honesty and raw lyricism.
She released her debut album, Are You Happy Now?, in 2022, featuring viral singles like “Immune” and “Wolves,” has earned widespread acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, UPROXX, NY Post, Billboard, and Stereogum. She’s been spotlighted in PAPER, DORK and Wonderland Magazine, with the latter declaring, “The future is just beginning for Jensen McRae.” Of her most recent work with “Massachusetts,” NYLON praised her candid storytelling: “Listening to Jensen McRae almost feels too personal, as if every lyric was not just a line in a song, but an unraveling of her innermost thoughts.”
Inspired by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman, McRae’s voice—both literal and lyrical—resonates deeply, personifying the human experience with rare vulnerability and grace. With a sound that blends introspection and artistry, she’s an artist who’s here to stay.
Tracklist:
1. The Rearranger
2. I Can Change Him
3. Savannah
4. Daffodils
5. Let Me Be Wrong
6. Novelty
7. I Don’t Do Drugs
8. Tuesday
9. Mother Wound
10. Praying For Your Downfall
11. Massachusetts
IDKHBTFM! TOUR DATES
NORTH AMERICA
May 03 – Philadelphia, PA | World Cafe Live
May 04 – Washington, DC | The Atlantis
May 07 – New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom
May 10 – Boston, MA | The Sinclair
May 12 – Montreal, QC | Fairmount Theatre
May 13 – Toronto, ON | The Axis Club
May 15 – Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall
May 16 – Minneapolis, MN | Varsity Theater
May 18 – Denver, CO | Bluebird Theater
May 19 – Salt Lake City, UT | Soundwell
May 21 – Vancouver, BC | Hollywood Theatre
May 22 – Seattle, WA | Neumos
May 23 – Portland, OR | Hawthorne Theatre
May 25 – Napa, CA | BottleRock
May 28 – Los Angeles, CA | El Rey Theatre
EU/UK
June 10 – Berlin, Germany | Privatclub
June 12 – Amsterdam, Netherlands | Bitterzoet
June 14 – Brussels, Belgium | Botanique
June 16 – Paris, France | Le Hasard Ludique
June 18 – Dublin, Ireland | The Workman’s Cellar
June 20 – Glasgow, UK | SWG3 Poetry Club
June 21 – Manchester, UK | Deaf Institute
June 22 – Bristol, UK | The Exchange