One such revelation of the ever-expanding world of folk has been its alternative cousin. Birthing cutting-edge records from the likes of Jessica Lea Mayfield, Jesca Hoop, and Amanda Palmer, among others, this particular breed of alternative folk takes some cues from the punk movement as much as it does traditional folk music. Offbeat, emotional, and evocative, this subset of the folk genre makes us here at For Folk’s Sake feel pretty good about the idea of what it means to be a folkster often being turned up on its head and revamped every so often.
Such is the music of Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Christina Rubino, melding together the evocative and darkly imagery of post-hardcore punk, the piano chords and arrangement style of a classic soul-laden torch song, and the introspective, storytelling invocations of folk into one dramatic piece to utterly compel the ears of her listeners.
You can pair those ears with eyes on the debut of her music video for the single, ‘Down to Sea’, from off of her latest album, Godspeed & Guns, as well. It takes all of those aforementioned aspects of her music and sticks them into the audiovisual blender, bringing the striking Rubino across a multitude of staple landscapes in her native New York—Luna Park, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, and more—as she often travels through great crowds, physically surrounded by droves of people, but clearly feeling more alone and taken over by the despairs of life than ever.
By the end of the video, however, it seems that from the smile on her face as she runs towards her friends that Rubino has found whatever it was in her to overcome her past. She has found it in herself to not go through this life alone, and in doing so has finally looked beyond her previous baggage and is making a conceded effort to change herself for the better. All in all, a moving piece from the budding pop star, and one that we here at FFS gladly endorse.
For more on Rubino, you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Words by: Jonathan Frahm