Kevin Bronson on May 21st, 2021

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Singer-songwriter Alexandra Riorden makes torchy psych- and indie-rock with one foot in the lounge with string players and the other in a country bar with the sawdust. Either way, Riorden invites you into her vignettes with smoldering vocals and sighing hope.

Riorden’s debut album, “Angel City Radio” (out June 25), sorts through snapshots of the songwriter’s personal trauma, and what followed. “The process of healing is not linear, it’s cyclical,” she says. “You experience a trauma and then a lot of different things come up and you hopefully make progress, but it’s not just like it’s over and you’re done. Things come up again and again, but every time they do you’re getting stronger and making strides towards healing.”

For instance: The latest single, “The Barrier,” was written in the wake of her uncle’s death. The first single, “Animals,” confronts the the horror of being the victim of a home invasion, with Riorden narrating from inside “my hotel … made of steel.”

The album was made with producer Max Collier Goldenstein, with Shane Graham drumming throughout and a host of other players including Brandon Graham (guitar), Brendy Hale (synthesizer) and a string quartet.

||| Stream: “The Barrier” and “Animals”