Angela Autumn Is Feeling Free in New Song 'Shooter' [Exclusive]

Angela Autumn is feeling free and looking toward a brighter future in her new song "Shooter." The track is premiering exclusively on The Boot; press play below to listen.

Singer-songwriter Autumn penned "Shooter" a few months after she moved to Nashville. A performance from fellow artist Ziona Riley, of a song called "Bury This Heirloom" -- "a song about denying our true selves and desires," Autumn explains -- inspired her to follow a similar creative thread.

"[The lyrics of "Shooter" are] are a meditation on the violence we inflict on our own bodies in order to succeed," Autumn says. "The speaker has escaped an oppressive situation, and is now, kind of, processing what that means for their future."

"Can't believe I'm gonna say this / But I think I've finally made it / Out of the valley of cold, cold flesh and blood ...," she sings. "Gonna do it my way / Not gonna turn around, no, honey, not this time."

"Shooter" was one of the first songs Autumn laid down for her forthcoming new album, Frontiers Woman. "The song was obviously a winner; it was ominous, and the lyrics were all there," the artist says, though the track that began as only Autumn and her acoustic guitar gained steel guitar, bass and percussion during the rest of the making of the record.

"This song has become my anthem, in a way. As a woman, I find myself at the crossroads of many anxieties, socially and politically. The song was my way of intersecting those dynamics and building a space to discuss those issues," Autumn says. "The lyrics are hopeful to me, even though they’re framed through a darker lens. I hope that the song can encourage listeners to embrace the shadows inherent in their own lives."

Originally from Zelienople, Pa. Autumn is a guitarist and clawhammer banjo player who fronted rock and ska bands during high school. She began collaborating with Pittsburgh's mandolin, upright bass and banjo players and, after she moved to Music City, fell in with the bluegrass community at East Nashville's American Legion Post 82.

"Shooter" is due out widely on Friday (May 21), while Frontiers Woman, which Autumn produced, is set for release on June 4. Fans can pre-save the single now, and the album is available to pre-order as well.

Listen to Angela Autumn's "Shooter":

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