A sonic explorer of the finest ilk, Margo Price has something to say but nothing to prove. In just three remarkable solo albums, the singer and songwriter has cemented herself as a generational talent and a force in Americana music. A deserved critical darling, she’s never shied from the sounds that move her, the pain that’s shaped her, or the topics that tick her off, like music industry double standards, the gender wage gap, or the plight of the American farmer (in 2021, she joined the board of Farm Aid).

The past few years have seen remarkable moments of acclaim, including a Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination, Americana Music Honors, a Saturday Night Live performance, and just about every outlet and critics’ year-end Best Of list. But Price remains hungry. “I still have a lot of drive inside of me,” she says. “I have a chip on my shoulder.”

Rock and roll, psychedelic country, rhythm & blues, and even bright shiny pop, when combined with Price’s delicate vocals and unhurried delivery, come out sounding singularly her. “I feel more mature in the way that I write now,” she admits. “I’m on more than just a search for large crowds and accolades. I’m trying to find what my soul needs.” Now, on her fourth full-length release, Strays — a clear-eyed mission statement delivered in blistering rock and roll — Price is taking on substance abuse, self-image, abortion rights, and orgasms. Musically extravagant but lyrically laser focused, the 10-song record tears into a broken world desperate for remedy. And who better to tell it? Price has done plenty of her own rebuilding — or as she shout sings in explanation on “Been to the Mountain,” the album’s throat-ripping opener, “I have been to the mountain and back alright” — and finds herself, at long last, free.