With Earth Day having just passed and Arbor Day being celebrated today, it’s a fitting time to highlight music that resonates with nature, speaks to environmental urgency, and honors the trees and planet we all share.
From Nashville’s vibrant alt-country scene, Jobi Riccio (ND review) marked Earth Day with the release of a poignant standalone track titled “Wildfire Season.” Below is Riccio’s message and the song:
“Be ruthless to systems and kind to people.” That quote by Michael Brooks has stayed with me and became a guiding principle while writing “Wildfire Season” in 2021. It continues to inform how I engage with the world as climate disasters persist, uprooting lives and dimming the prospects of future generations. This song channels my emotional response—my grief and fury—into something honest. Sometimes the most compassionate way to share our pain is with plainspoken truth, and this track is my heartfelt attempt to do just that.
I began writing “Wildfire Season” back in 2020, when my home state of Colorado and much of the western U.S. were blanketed in smoke and ash from massive wildfires that turned skies a fiery orange. But it wasn’t until the Marshall Fire devastated communities between Boulder and Denver in December 2021—far outside the usual timeframe for wildfires—that I felt an urgent need to complete the song. I found myself wondering if my hometown, Morrison, CO, might be next. That fear inspired the opening lines.
Back then, just like now—after catastrophes like Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires—those with influence seemed more preoccupied with space colonization, energy-hungry AI innovations, and inflating shareholder profits than addressing the climate crisis. At 26 years old in 2025, I’ve witnessed 20 of the worst wildfires in Colorado’s recorded history—nearly all within my lifetime. This pattern is echoed around the globe, with disasters increasing in frequency and intensity. Growing up in the long shadow of this crisis has filled me with every shade of rage at corporations that continue to exploit people and the Earth for profit, even as humanity’s survival teeters on the edge. As I sing in the track, we are “hunted by the hands of time.”
The second verse reflects my belief in the leadership and resilience of Indigenous communities. The path forward, I believe, must be shaped in collaboration with those who have long stewarded these lands. I hope “Wildfire Season” becomes both a rallying call for accountability and environmental justice—including support for the Indigenous LAND BACK movement—and a source of emotional release for anyone overwhelmed by the weight of these times, especially young people like me who will live with these consequences the longest. — Jobi Riccio
Also released on Earth Day was a striking new music video from fellow Nashville artist Jack Van Cleaf, for his song “Green”—a track inspired by the climate crisis. Blending elements of pop, indie rock, and country, Van Cleaf is preparing to drop his second album, JVC, on May 9 through Dualtone Records. His thoughts on the song and the creative influences behind it follow:
The color green appears often throughout JVC, and at one point I even considered naming the whole album after it. “Green” is, at its heart, a song about the environment. The lyrics were born out of a soliloquy in the film The Green Knight, and I wanted to portray green as something immense and inescapable. Another major influence was the novel The Overstory, which argues that even if people can’t be moved to act for nature’s sake, perhaps they’ll act out of self-preservation. I’ve heard similar reasoning from others—Earth isn’t fragile; she’s resilient. If we position ourselves against her, she will endure while we won’t. “Green” is my homage to nature, our origin and, if we continue on this path, our undoing. — Jack Van Cleaf
If you’re craving more than just a few singles, No Depression‘s sister platform, Folk Alley, offers a wealth of eco-conscious listening. Their most recent radio program delivers two hours of themed tracks, and the extended five-hour “Mother Earth Mix” stream provides an even deeper dive into songs celebrating the natural world.
At No Depression, sustainability has long been a key theme in our coverage of the roots music community. You can revisit our entire Winter 2020 edition titled “Going Green” , and explore a thoughtful journal piece on making vinyl production more environmentally friendly .
This week also brought exciting album news from two longtime No Depression favorites. After a 16-year hiatus, The Swell Season—the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova—will make a much-anticipated return with their new album Forward, arriving June 13. We last caught up with them in 2022 during the 15th anniversary of the film Once. In addition, Hayes Carll, whose 2019 essay “If I May Be So Bold” remains one of our most-read pieces, has announced a new release titled We’re Only Human, out August 8. Preview fresh tracks from both below:
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:
Mark Rubin – Dispatches: Songs from a World Gone Mad (coming May 1)
Bells Larsen – “Might” (featured on their album Blurring Time, out today via Royal Mountain Records)
Andy Frasco & The U.N. – “Life is Easy” featuring Billy Strings, Steve Poltz, Daniel Donato & Mike Gordon (from Growing Pains, releasing May 25 via Regime Music Group)