pine & fire are a duo with an uncompromising vision for justice — and Songs From the North Country cement them in the queer country canon. The pair told us about their renewed relationship to country music a few months ago, and that commitment runs through these fiery tales of grit and desperation. If there was ever any doubt that punk and folk are two sides of the same coin, Songs From the North Country puts those to rest.
“Recession Blues” finds the pair digging into a timeless story that should have been ended long ago. pine & fire share a critique of the “American dream” that reminds us it is designed to be elusive, and those who get left behind are not simply cogs in the machine.
That narrative is turned on its head with “Gas Can,” a raucous celebration of the people who would prefer to go out with a bang than a whimper, refusing to fade quietly into obscurity. We may not want to follow exactly in the narrator’s footsteps, but there are bitter revelations in their testimony.
Towards North Country‘s conclusion, pine & fire slow things down for “Church In a Ghost Town.” In spite of the very real struggles the album presents, this ballad reminds us that there are still reasons to remain. The love that binds us is far more permanent than the places time may extinguish.