“I wrote ‘I Feel A Darkness’ in my car driving home from a party, feeling completely drained and fed up,” says future alt-folk hero Taylor Janzen of her recent single. “In the months leading up to me writing it, I felt my mental health slowly deteriorating and felt like nothing I did could stop it. Writing this song felt like exhaling my fears. Even if it didn’t go away, at least I could put it to words.”

The intimate honesty of Janzen’s music seems only more powerful in these trying times, when many of us have been left alone with little more than our thoughts. Music has been one hell of a tonic, and what better way to spotlight the heart and soul of a song than by stripping it right back? In that spirit, the rising Winnipeg singer-songwriter has recorded an exclusive set for NME Home Sessions.

Having amassed millions of streams, a legion of hardcore fans and a fair bit of critical acclaim, Janzen has been making a name for herself in recent years on the road with the likes of Beabadoobee, Half Moon Run, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers, but here she is performing for us from her own backyard. Watch above to see her play ‘I Feel A Darkness’, ‘What I Do’ & ‘The Waiting Room’.

For more NME Home Sessions, check out Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil performing exclusively for us here, Blossoms delivering some classics along with an Elvis Costello cover here and Aussie singer-songwriter G-Flip here. Check back at NME soon for more Home Sessions from music’s most influential artists, including big names and rising stars.