Assigned Country Singer At Birth is Rae Spoon’s thirteenth solo album and marks their return to country music. It’s arguably not any safer than it was in the early 2000’s to be a transgender country singer, but there's no room for doubting their connection to it when you hear them sing.

The album is equally subversive and relatable, a testament to the fact that country music is as expansive as the people who are connected to it. Songs about trans folks, harm reduction, disability, inclusion, religious trauma, solidarity and opposing colonial land occupation may seem antithetical to traditional country, but they are as much a part of Spoon’s experiences as love songs, trucks and beer.

On Assigned Country Singer At Birth, Rae Spoon’s musical influences from traditional country, to pop, gospel, bluegrass, electronic and experimental coalesce into unique combinations. Producer and drummer, Alaska B of Yamantaka Sonic Titan, Pantayo (both short-listed for the Polaris Prize twice) and collaborators Robyn Grey, Evelyn Charlotte Joe, Laurie Torres, Thanya Iyer, Christine Bougie and Gambletron deliver nuanced performances that gel seamlessly with Rae's humour and heartbreak. Vocalists Lydia Persaud, Kimmortal, Cassia Hardy, Theodore Walker, Louis Sanchez, Rosina Kazi, Kue Varo, Lianne Hall and Stewart Legere form a chorus of vocal support that illustrate the visceral power of people coming together to sing for change.