“I don’t write protest songs in the traditional sense,” says Samantha Crain, of her fourth album, “but I’m always listening to the voices of people around me. These stories are told from the perspective of the underdog, the 99% of us that are working people. They might not be literal protest songs, but the lives of the people within these songs speak at the same volume if you listen.”
Under Branch & Thorn & Tree follows 2014’s Kid Face and boasts a musicality as gently beguiling as the lyrics. A merging of country (Big Rock) and folk (Kathleen) styles, it occasionally strays into stranger territory, such as the queasy synth lines that run through opener Killer.
Have a listen using the player below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
