[4] Following the success of her debut, Baker gained positive attention and would begin working with Matador Records who helped release Turn Out the Lights.

Club, Kyle Ryan wrote that "As Baker digs into mental health, relationships, faith, and adulthood, Turn Out The Lights is, understandably, absolutely crushing... it is beautifully crafted throughout, full of the kinds of songs that linger long after they've ended.

There's an elegance to her music that wasn't there before—a sudden bright piano riff over deep guitar; a harrowing, shouted acapella—that feels like a coming of age.

"[12] Selecting Turn Out the Lights as one of the best albums of the year, The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica wrote, "Few if any songwriters are as evocative as Julien Baker, and few if any singers are capable of capturing despair and resilience quite like she can.

"[21] August Brown from Los Angeles Times praised the album in a year-end review, stating, "“Visionary” is an easy word to toss around, but on her second LP, the still unbelievably young Baker saw a kinder, more empathetic world grounded in faith and humility and vulnerability.