SXSW Throwback: Revisit Torres’ Beautiful Riverview Session From 2015

South By Southwest, the annual migration of musicians, industry folks and creative types of all stripes to Austin, Texas, is almost upon us. This year’s festival kicks off this weekend, so to celebrate, we’ll be digging through the Paste archives to find the best sessions recorded at the Riverview Bungalow in Austin. Today’s pick is Torres’ gorgeous, intimate set from March 20, 2015. Watch it below.

Torres, a.k.a. Mackenzie Scott, released her sophomore album, Sprinter in May 2015. Armed with only her electric guitar and a backup vocalist, Scott played a preview of that record during her Riverview session, offering up stirring, stripped-down takes on “A Proper Polish Welcome” and “The Harshest Light.”

In 2017, Torres released her third album, the gorgeous rumination on the body and mind, Three Futures. Then, last year, she was dropped from a three-album deal with her record label 4AD “for not being commercially successful enough.” Scott is still making moves, though—she recently announced a special vinyl re-pressing of her self-titled debut LP, which you can purchase here on Bandcamp. She also recently shared an exclusive cover of a Keith Urban song for Patreon and unleashed a mysterious tweet that could be hinting at a new project (here’s hoping!).

Again, you can watch Torres at Riverview in 2015 below. Further down, hear her 2013 Daytrotter session.