;Montana-based singer-songwriter Riddy Arman is set to release her self-titled debut album this Friday, September 10, via La Honda Records and Thirty Tigers. She will embark on a tour supporting labelmate Colter Wall this week as well, including shows in Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus, and Indianapolis, followed by an appearance at this year's Americanafest in Nashville (see below for full tour details). Brooklyn Vegan says her music has “a classic-yet-modern country feel, not far removed from recent country trailblazers like Margo Price and Amanda Shires,” and an 8-out-of-10 review of the record in the current issue of UNCUT praises, “Arman's self-titled debut is sparse and gothic, keeping instrumentation minimal enough to leave room for emotion as open as the western skies she works under.”
Today, Arman is premiering album standout, “Barbed Wire,” where she “skillfully takes listeners into the emotions of a lonely cowboy” (The Boot), singing, “There’s one thing he wants and can’t seem to find / so he sits atop his horse as his dog trails beside / Seeking freedom from his mind under sunny desert skies / The wind will dry his tears that fall as if he’s never cried.” Of the song, Arman offers, “Hard work can be a distraction from hard feelings. Fixing barbed wire is hard work. Sometimes it's a mile you have to fence, sometimes it's a strand a steer broke you gotta fix. Doesn't make any of it less sharp.”
Originally introduced to her longtime fans through a viral Western AF acoustic performance, Arman recently shared the long-awaited studio version of “Spirits, Angels, Or Lies,” which opens her forthcoming debut. She previously premiered her acclaimed single “Too Late To Write A Love Song” at FLOOD Magazine, who noted, “The resolve in Arman’s vocals recalls icons like Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton—both strong songwriters who were able to distill a sense of melancholy, romance, and sincerity in the necessary hurt of being human.” The track was later featured by Rolling Stone Country, The Bluegrass Situation, Glide Magazine, and Various Small Flames. Arman originally announced the record at Holler. with “Half A Heart Keychain,” and they noted, “[Arman’s] forthcoming album details her time as a ranch hand and her relationship with the land, alongside songs about heartbreak and self-discovery. In the long tradition of 'singing cowboys', Arman has much to say.”
Much of Arman's songwriting is rooted in the poetic imagery of country life — from the beauty of its simplicity to the isolation and loneliness that can often overtake its inhabitants. She grew up in rural Ohio but has traversed the country, working as a ranch hand and practicing an Agrarian lifestyle. Written collectively while stationed in the sunburnt hills of California ranch country, during an intensely creative period in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and after relocating to New Orleans following a friend’s passing, the songs on Arman's eponymous debut have allowed her to move forward from some of the most painful moments of her life. Arman and producer Bronson Tew (Jimbo Mathus, Dom Flemons, Seratones) recorded the nine tracks at Portland, Oregon’s Mississippi Studios shortly after the widespread positive reception of her Western AF session.
Songs like "Barbed Wire” distinctly recall the seclusion and longing that can come from life on the range. Album closer “Problems Of My Own” uses simple references to classic scenes, like bacon frying in cast iron pans, to explore the darkness that can lurk within family life and the urge to escape it. Elsewhere, “Old Maid’s Draw” tells of an area where Arman worked that locals have mythologized with the tale of a woman who lived alone in the early settling days of Montana. Nestled perfectly alongside these originals is Arman’s take on Kris Kristofferson’s beloved “Help Me Make It Through The Night.”
Rather than get lost in the forlorn feelings of which she often sings, Arman has chosen to embrace isolation and interpret her life through the rural landscape that adorns her lyrics. With fierce honesty and a voice that immediately commands attention, her forthcoming debut proves she’s far more than just a cowboy, singing her lonely songs.
Riddy Arman Tracklisting:
1) Spirits, Angels, Or Lies
2) Half A Heart Keychain
3) Barbed Wire
4) Both Of MY Hands
5) Help Me Make It Through The Night
6) Herding Song
7) Old Maid's Draw
8) Too Late To Write A Love Song
9) Problems Of My Own
Riddy Arman On Tour:
September 9 — McKees Rocks, PA — Roxian Theatre*
September 10 — Washington, DC — 930 Club*
September 11 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza*
September 12 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer*
September 16 — Buffalo, NY — Asbury Hall*
September 17 — Detroit, MI — Majestic Theater*
September 18 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall*
September 19 — Indianapolis, IN — Hifi*
September 22 — Nashville, TN — Americanafest
September 23 — Des Moines, IA — Vinyl Cup Records
November 19 — Bozeman, MT — Live From The Divide~
November 20 — Miles City, MT — Montana Bar~
November 23 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th Street Entry~
November 27 — Davenport, IA — Raccoon Motel~
November 28 — Chicago, IL — Tonic Room~
December 1 — Yorkville, IL — The Law Office Pub~
December 3 — Madison, IN — Red Bicycle Hall~
December 8 — Asheville, NC — The Grey Eagle~
December 11 — Nashville, TN — The Basement~
December 15 — Tulsa, OK — Mercury Lounge~
December 17 — Trinidad, CO — Trinidad Lounge~
December 18 — Denver, CO — Hi-Dive~
December 19 — Laramie, WY — Ruffed Up Duck Saloon~
*appearing with Colter Wall
~fall headlining tour
