AMANDA BARRICK, 21ST CENTURY QUEER TROUBADOR, CHAMPIONS ‘SELF-ACCEPTANCE’’ IN DEBUT ALBUM, WASTELANDS

Contemporary folk rock musician Amanda Barrick announces the launch of their debut album, Wastelands, set for release on July 31st. Written over two decades and in locations across the United States, Wastelands is an amalgamation of Barrick’s emergence as an artist coming into their own.

Having grown up in the LDS faith as a queer person, Amanda Barrick weaves themes of religious oppression, redefining spirituality, romantic love–and ultimately self-acceptance–throughout Wastelands. Barrick deftly showcases their talent as a spoken word artist in two tracks, “Cool Dad” and “Biochemistry,” and covers Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” with hypnotic ease. However, at the core of the album resides Americana folk rock that is reminiscent of artists such as Brandi Carlile, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, and Joan Baez–all the while remaining unmistakably Amanda Barrick.

Amanda also navigates uncharted territory in launching Wastelands: emerging as a new artist during a global pandemic. While Barrick has begun to make the rounds in their local music scene prior to the COVID-19 shutdown of bars and music venues, they continue headfirst into spreading messages of acceptance, individuality and personal growth through their music online and, of course, through Wastelands.

“As many people have done, I continue to work through the challenges of adversity in my past, and I’m
proud to be the resilient artist I am today,” said Barrick. “That resiliency is propelling me artistically during
a time when so much is uncertain. I’m continuing with the release of Wastelands, even in a time when
many would say it’s unwise to try to break into the music scene.

I hope that people understand that this is all a testament to how much I believe in my work, and how much I want to share it with others. One of my favorite things about music, it’s the gift that keeps giving.”
Wastelands is currently available for pre-order via Bandcamp and the artist’s website.

The album’s lead singles, “Big Sur,” “Biochemistry,” and “Wastelands,” are currently available on Spotify, Apple Music.

For more information, visit AmandaBarrick.com.

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