Trying Americana / alt-country songwriting for the first time, would love second opinions on whether the story comes through lyrically
Hey everyone! I’m an independent artist who usually leans more pop/indie/eclectic, but I recently built a full album around Americana-style storytelling, and I’d really appreciate the perspective of outside ears. Just joined this community, but looking forward to having a dialogue and getting to know y'all!
The project is called "Forlorn Beach: The B Side". It’s not strictly one sound all the way through, some tracks are more indie, some lean Americana/folk, some get blues-adjacent, and a few are closer to radio-country-ish... but “alt-country” feels like the closest umbrella for what I was trying to do.
The album follows one character’s perspective across a larger story: falling in love, feeling trapped by family expectations, making a major mistake, running from guilt, and eventually trying to find his way back. Since Americana/country writing is still a newer muscle for me, I’m mostly looking for lyrical/story feedback rather than just “does this sound good?”
I’m especially curious about hearing if the character arc feels apparent through the lyrics Does the track-by-track evolution feel emotionally/narratively clear? Do the Americana/country influences feel natural, or does it sound like someone outside the genre trying them on? Are there any songs where the storytelling really works, or have four years of my life gone by without me learning anything?
Lyrics are here, which is probably the best place to judge what I’m asking about:
https://genius.com/albums/Decimus-cs/Forlorn-beach-the-b-side
Spotify is here for anyone who wants to hear the production/context: (be warned, some are definitely a little... rough around the edges. I'm the first to admit it)
https://open.spotify.com/album/7fS3RgDlCxwVgD5uuDWGNP?si=8M2FBBpsQBCB_AUvM0Hyjw
For reference, the tracks I’d probably point people toward first are “City Lights & Big Mistakes,” “Someday,” and “Fantasy of a Lonely Man in a Grocery Store Parking Lot.”
Appreciate any honest thoughts - especially from people who care about lyrics, narrative albums, and country/Americana songwriting traditions.