The Jersey-based poet and musician Amy Klein left Titus Andronicus way back in 2011, and since then she’s released music with the folk-rock band Leda as well as Hilly Eye. Her debut solo album, Fire, is due out next month and today we’re premiering its first single. “American City” is a folk song in the most traditional sense. It’s a meandering story that upholds and simultaneously debunks the myth of the American Dream. Klein begins the tale with a portrait of a wise man living in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, rebuilding his home in the aftermath of Katrina. As Klein continues to tell his story she pulls back and examines his life alongside the lives of other characters living in American cities. And then, in an act of uplifting defiance, Klein comes for their oppressors. “So you can let me down/ But I’m never gonna let myself down,” she sings. “And you can try to push me around/ But I’m never going to bring myself down.” Listen below.

Fire is out 6/10 via Don Giovanni. Pre-order it digitally here and on vinyl here.

CREDIT: Felicia Heng