Broken View

Sam Barber’s song “Just a Kid” raises a poignant question. The 22-year-old singer-songwriter, who often sings so hard his voice cracks, dips into a lower register as he wonders, “Oh dear, am I weak or just a kid?” Barber seeks to answer this for himself on <i>Broken View</i>, whether he’s wallowing in romantic regret on the Avery Anna co-write “Hate It Here” or cautiously tending a new flame on the folk rocker “The More I Hope”. Co-produced by Barber and Joe Becker (with additional production from The National’s Aaron Dessner on tracks like closer “Hope It Never Rains”), <i>Broken View</i> leans into the brooding folk pop of Barber’s earlier projects, situating him alongside fellow introspective, country-adjacent artists like Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan. Highlights include “Satellite”, a country rocker with spacious production, and opener “Borrowed Time”, which bristles with shades of grunge. Barber has some ace players on <i>Broken View</i>, too, like blues-rock guitar-slinger Tyler Bryant and former Larkin Poe drummer Kevin McGowan.