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Nov 03, 2021 By Joey Arnone

Cassandra Jenkins has shared a new song, “American Spirits.” It is the latest release from her forthcoming compilation album, (An Overview on) An Overview on Phenomenal Nature, which will be out on November 19 via Ba Da Bing. Listen below.

“American Spirits” is the sole new song to be featured on the upcoming compilation, which primarily consists of alternative tracks and outtakes. The song was originally recorded as a demo in early 2019.

Jenkins states in a press release regarding the inspiration behind the song: “I woke up one morning with a voicemail from an unknown number while I was on tour in 2018. The area code was from the Texas border, and I had a sinking feeling my friend had gotten arrested on his way to come see us play in Joshua Tree. I’m fortunate to be close to someone who can speak so candidly about their incarceration, and how the prison system has continuously affected their life. When we spoke recently about the voicemail in this recording, I asked him what he was feeling in that moment. He said ‘I was really scared. So I called you, and I called a lawyer.’

“I cherished this voicemail for years because, even in that difficult moment, I could hear a tenderness in his voice as he confessed, as well as avoided, reporting that he had spent the night in jail. What resulted is the poetic ambiguity that can arise from the struggle of searching for the words to tell someone we love exactly what has happened.”

Jenkins’ most recent studio album, An Overview on Phenomenal Nature came out earlier this year via Ba Da Bing. Read our interview with Jenkins, where she discusses the album. Last month, she shared a revised version of album track “Hailey” upon announcing the compilation.

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