Sam Barber’s song “Just a Kid” raises a poignant question. The 22-year-old singer-songwriter, who often sings so hard his voice cracks, dips into a lower register as he wonders, “Oh dear, am I weak or just a kid?” Barber seeks to answer this for himself on Broken View, whether he’s wallowing in romantic regret on the Avery Anna co-write “Hate It Here” or cautiously tending a new flame on the folk rocker “The More I Hope”. Co-produced by Barber and Joe Becker (with additional production from The National’s Aaron Dessner on tracks like closer “Hope It Never Rains”), Broken View leans into the brooding folk pop of Barber’s earlier projects, situating him alongside fellow introspective, country-adjacent artists like Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan. Highlights include “Satellite”, a country rocker with spacious production, and opener “Borrowed Time”, which bristles with shades of grunge. Barber has some ace players on Broken View, too, like blues-rock guitar-slinger Tyler Bryant and former Larkin Poe drummer Kevin McGowan.