“Letting go of something that I loved so much and trying to come to terms with what I was going to put in its place – that's the story of the album,” says Nora Jane Struthers of her latest release Back To Cast Iron. 

Struthers is referring to her balancing act of family and career in the wake of the pandemic. And while such big changes could easily inspire quiet musical reflection, she chooses a more extroverted approach in her new songs. Starting with “Is It Hope?” and “Oh To Be Home,” a pair of sky-gazing three-chord wonders, the album locks into a mostly uptempo groove. “Carhenge” is a speedometer-ticking rocker about a rusty roadside sculpture that's “sexier than Cleopatra,” and the California country-flavored “Life Of A Dream” is like a spiritual Marie Kondo-style recalibration.“Something Wild” arrives at a fresh take on an old truth (“You gotta let it grow where it lies”) and “Back On The Road” concludes with an exhilarating final shot: “There ain't no life that's better than this.” Despite the anxiety and existential questions that fueled it, Back To Cast Iron has the feel of first-day-of-summer optimism and possibility.

With a sound that's been praised as “an evolved blend of roots and rock” (Rolling Stone Country) and full of “quietly power narratives” (NPR Music), Struthers continues to carve out a niche amongst the new wave of Americana artists.