{"product_id":"shoulders-nick-refugia-blues","title":"Shoulders, Nick - Refugia Blues","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRefugia Blues\u003c\/em\u003e, the fifth album from Nick Shoulders, is a record of big ideas and small, intimate moments. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese nine songs are rooted in the stylings of Southern traditional music. Sparse, timeless, and unamplified, they're older than the sounds Shoulders saluted on albums like 2023's \u003cem\u003eAll Bad\u003c\/em\u003e, with its loud, whooping anthems for roadhouses and sweaty dancehalls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere, Shoulders isn't shouting over a band. He isn't bringing a crowd to its feet with dance-ready tempos. Rather, he's exploring another side of his craft by stepping up to a ribbon microphone as a solo performer, delivering each song with acoustic instruments and a voice that's equal parts country croon, Appalachian yodel, and high-lonesome field holler. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs he explains it, \u003cem\u003eRefugia Blues\u003c\/em\u003e isn't just a call to action; it's a call to rest, too. \"This is my Nebraska,\" he says, nodding to Bruce Springsteen's lo-fi acoustic record from 1982. \"Some people listen to Bruce for the E Street Band and the big radio hits, but I like the intimacy and rawness of \u003cem\u003eNebraska \u003c\/em\u003einstead. I'd like to think of \u003cem\u003eRefugia Blues\u003c\/em\u003e as a little window into the heart, as opposed to the drumbeat of a revolution.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShoulders' interpretation of American roots music has always been more progressive and punky than the trucks-and-beers conservatism that passes for modern-day country. \u003cem\u003eRefugia Blues\u003c\/em\u003e offers songs about climate collapse, radical anthropology, and generative disruption. It balances the macro with the micro, too, making room for love songs and personal topics, packaging humor alongside heavy insights. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt once academic and accessible, \u003cem\u003eRefugia Blues\u003c\/em\u003e isn't just a deep dive into southernness, but also into Shoulders himself. This is a raw, resolute version of American country music, stacked high with songs that go down easy but linger in the minds of those willing to invest the time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gar Hole","offers":[{"title":"Bronze LP","offer_id":50399885984022,"sku":"RMX-54442","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50399887327510,"sku":"RMX-54443","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50399888310550,"sku":"RMX-54444","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0839\/7750\/2998\/files\/994590869ec3d7d40f83c6f075e64f9e.jpg?v=1755864605","url":"https:\/\/resident-music-uk.myshopify.com\/products\/shoulders-nick-refugia-blues","provider":"Resident Music UK","version":"1.0","type":"link"}