Broken View

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Broken View is the sophomore studio album from Missouri-born singer-songwriter Sam Barber, released April 3, 2026 via Atlantic Records. Co-produced by Barber and Joe Becker — who a lso helmed his 2024 debut Restless Mind — with additional production from The National's Aaron Dessner on select tracks, the 13-song, 50-minute record finds Barber exploring themes of loss, self-discovery, and romantic complexity. Though often billed as a country artist, his sound leans more toward brooding folk-rock, drawing natural comparisons to Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan, with vocal qualities that reviewers have likened to Eddie Vedder.Sonically, the album is defined by its dynamic range and deliberate arrangement choices, with each track building outward from a grounded foundation. Opener "Borrowed Time" bristles with grunge-flavored electric guitars and thumping percussion, while "Just a Kid" carries a '90s alt-rock feel, and "The More I Hope" folds in bluegrass and Americana textures through fiddle and pedal steel. Collaborators include blues-rock guitarist Tyler Bryant and drummer Kevin McGowan, and Barber co-writes "Hate It Here" with Avery Anna. As Americana Highways notes, the album's emotional pacing is built directly into the songs themselves — each one purposeful, expansive, and carrying the weight of an artist still working out who he is. Show more