Rainbow Girls, ‘The Folksinger’s Contract’ [Exclusive Premiere]

NorCal-based folk trio Rainbow Girls are premiering their new song "The Folksinger's Contract" exclusively for readers of The Boot. Press play below to listen, or click play above to watch the song's music video.

Comprised of Erin Chapin, Caitlin Gowdey and Vanessa May, Rainbow Girls offer subdued folk tunes with rich harmonies, of which "The Folksinger's Contract" is a perfect example.

“There are a couple underlying themes throughout our music," Chapin tells The Boot, "but I feel the most pervasive one asks people to look at and really examine things the way they are, to be honest with yourself and the people around you."

On Nov. 8 -- exactly one year to the day after Donald Trump was elected president -- Rainbow Girls will release their first album as a trio, American Dream. It's a socially conscious record, one that explores the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, the protests at Standing Rock and concerns about the disintegration of the fabric of American culture.

"I was playing with this symbol, as an idea of strength, as I was writing the song. It was cathartic, ripping up this symbol and putting it back together in a different, deconstructed form. And now that we've put it back together, it's beautiful, it's intentionally torn and ragged," Gowdey says of the album's cover, a ripped American flag. "It's about America's ability to be creative and great, which seems really important to remember right now due to what's happening in the country."

Each song on the 10-track EP is paired with a hashtag, such as #Resist and #BlackLivesMatter, to inspire discussion on social media. (The hashtag for "The Folksinger's Contract" is "#Vanlife.)

"A lot of the songs off this album were born out of self-examination and / or observations of the ones we love," Chapin explains. "Often the song will address the proverbial ‘you,’ when really we’re just speaking of or to ourselves ... and it’s so much easier to address the BS in life when you can look yourself straight in the eye."

Visit RainbowGirlsMusic.com to learn more about the trio, their new album and their upcoming tour dates.

Listen to Rainbow Girls, "The Folksinger's Contract":

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