Kevin Bronson on July 24th, 2015

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On the first single she released back in January from her forthcoming full-length, BETS proclaimed that she “Don’t Give a F#ck.” Which is obviously not true; the singer-songwriter (née Betsey Haley Hershey) cares deeply, no matter what first impressions her feathery vocals and playful, ’60s-inspired indie-pop might leave. Her new song “Free Tonight” is not about being available for diner and a movie, but about the death penalty. “I wrote this when I was heartbroken over a story of a man put to death by the criminal justice system, and our overall prison system in this country,” she explains. “There is so much injustice and inequality. People have said to me that I shouldn’t write about this because I’ve never experienced it, which I think is insane. We all live here, we are all responsible for what is happening. We should all be talking about it.” The song and other piquant observations will appear on the album “Day Hours Nights,” which comes out July 31 and was recorded with Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart at his Eagle Rock studio The Ship. The producer’s light electronic touches allow the bicoastal artist’s ballads to breathe, lending verisimilitude to whatever issues BETS is tackling.

||| Stream: “Free Tonight”

||| Also: Watch the new video for “Jenny”

||| Previously: “Don’t Give a F#ck,” “Rooftop Lover”