Vandoliers

“Most personal album yet” is a well-worn cliché within the cliché-addled world of music promotion. But  Life Behind Bars, the fifth studio album from beloved Texas country-punk ensemble Vandoliers, brings  new meaning to that phrase. This album marks a series of firsts for the band, it’s their first release with  upstart Break Maiden Records and distributed by storied indie Thirty Tigers, their first with Grammy winning producer Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, Lucero), and their first recorded at the  sprawling Sonic Ranch studios in West Texas. Most importantly, though, this collection of songs offers a  window into frontwoman Jenni Rose’s journey through addiction and gender dysphoria — a journey that  has culminated in her decision to come out as a trans woman while working in the macho worlds of  Texas country and punk rock, at a moment when the rights of trans people are more intensely  threatened by the day.