Caroline Spence, a Nashville-based singer and songwriter renowned for her narrative skill, gained traction in the national folk and Americana landscape of the mid-2010s through introspective reflections on human behavior. Her 2017 album Spades & Roses earned her praise from critics and admiration among fellow songwriters in Music City, paving the way for a deal with Rounder Records and the release of her first project for the label, 2019’s Mint Condition. Three years after that, she issued the expansive and introspective True North.
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, Spence introduced her music in 2013 via the six-track EP You Know the Feeling, which showcased melodic, bittersweet Americana and folk compositions. She claimed victory in American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest that year and started building an audience through appearances at festivals and folk venues across the country, adding a Kerrville Folk Festival win in 2014 before unveiling her well-received debut full-length Somehow in 2015. After settling in Nashville, she cultivated a standing for candid, contemplative writing that crossed boundaries between folk, country, and roots traditions, prompting parallels to Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris. Spence followed with the evocative Spades & Roses in 2017, her next album, and subsequently entered into an agreement with the longstanding Rounder Records. Mint Condition marked her initial release on the imprint and included a contribution from Emmylou Harris. On 2022’s True North, Spence examined grief, hope, and resilience through layered, nearly otherworldly folk arrangements.
