When Sarah Shook & the Disarmers’ debut album Sidelong arrived in early 2017, it immediately stood out for the depth and wit of Shook’s lyrics. Clearly, this was a new voice well-versed in outlaw-country tropes, and it was a voice packaged in a self-described “vegan, bisexual, atheist mom in a country band from the South.” Shook was raised in a homeschooling, religious family that eschewed any secular music, and you can consider her songs some seriously entertaining, long-earned rebellion. The band’s new album, Years, adds to the urgency of the debut, making Shook a natural peer to Margo Price in kicking ass as hard as Merle Haggard ever did.
— Dan Nailen
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