Samantha Crain – Outside the Pale

Jon Doyle — Wed, 06 May 2015 17:12:39 +0000

Oklahoman folk artist Samantha Crain has unveiled a new track to premiere her fourth studio album. As with 2013’s Kid Face, Crain has again enlisted John Vanderslice to help create her distinctively intricate and delicate sound, and, if ‘Outside the Pale’ is anything to go by, she is pulling no punches when it comes to the lyrics. As a descendant of Choctaw heritage, Crain uses the song as a kind of communal voice for the people of native cultures being ignored into oblivion by those with influence in modern America. “You and I tell the stories the TV won’t release” she sings, “they keep us in the wild, under branch and thorn and tree.” This sense of speaking out for those that are not heard runs through the album, with Crain hoping to celebrate the people who are under-represented in US entertainment and go some way to dismantling the wall of silence that has been placed in their way. As Crain tells Stereogum:

“I don’t write protest songs in the traditional sense, 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.”

Check out the track in the player below:

The album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, will be released on the 17th July and you can pre-order it now from Full Time Hobby.

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Samantha Crain – Outside the Pale