As a lifelong Georgian, hailing from the Flint River city of Albany – the birthplace of Ray Charles, Evan Barber frames his debut solo release, Until the Thunder, around anecdotes culminated from growing up in an area that has seen its fair share of triumphs and failures. The landscape is beautiful and there is an undeniable Southern pride, but its history harbors a shame that hangs heavy like the sultry summer air. Into this album, Barber weaves those themes along with the inspiration he draws from Drive-By Trucker’s frontman Patterson Hood’s “duality of the Southern Thing.”

Under the Thunder is a departure from the albums Barber is used to making. His previous work has been with a full touring band, the Dead Gamblers. Bronze (2014) and Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers (2010) are albums that were played live on the road long before recording in the studio.