Article Contributed by Joshua Dulas
Published on February 6, 2026
Clay Street Unit: Sin & Squalor
As the great American poet & lyricist Robert Hunter wrote: “Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.” …
And so it was for the up & coming group, Clay Street Unit, just as they were hitting their stride, when the proverbial rug was pulled out from under them when their label, Monument Records (a division of Sony), abruptly folded, leaving them temporarily homeless. However, In a move that is increasingly looking like it will prove very wise in hindsight, Nashville-based Leo33 picked them up.
Based out of Denver, Colorado & formed in 2021, as currently constructed, personnel are: Sam Walker (lead vocals/guitar), Scottie Bolin (mandolin/vocals), Jack Cline (banjo), Brad Larrison (pedal steel), Brendan Lamb (drums), and Jack Kotarba (bass). While writing this review, it was announced via the band’s social accounts that violinist Dan Andree, previously of The Fretliners, was officially joining the band. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a shameless sucker for the fiddle, so I’m quite excited to see how the addition of the instrument helps to further shape the sound, both in the studio and on the stage.
Produced by Chris Pandolfi (The Infamous Stringdusters), mixed by Sean Sullivan & mastered by Anna Frick, Sin & Squalor was originally slated to be released in May 2025, however, was postponed to February 2026 due to the record label musical chairs. A follow up to 2022’s A Mighty Fine Evening EP, this eleven-song effort finds the group rapidly blossoming and accelerating, both in terms of their sound as well as their following. Is it Bluegrass? Is it Folk? Is it Roots? Is it Alt-Country? Is it Americana? The answer to all these questions is a resounding HELL YES.
Starting off unassuming enough at first with Nothing Else Matters, it’s a tale of the longing of a man who has been on the road far too long, aching to return home to the love of his life. Featuring an extra tasty banjo and pedal steel breakdown jam that are repeating themes on Sin & Squalor, if I happen to find Clay Street Unit randomly playing in my head, this song is more often than not what I’m hearing.
Scottie Bolin’s mandolin steers us into the second track, Drive. With a banjo-centric chorus glued together by the pedal steel, it’s the chronicling of one man’s behind the wheel contemplations. “Will you love me when I’m not around?” Continuing with the road theme of the opening track, it’s quite the gentle banger of a driving song. For the last third of the number, the tempo shifts up a gear; a deliberate & fun little easter egg that Sam Walker elaborated on during an interview recently: “We kept coming back to this idea of the road being the biggest obstacle of a relationship and how helpless that feeling can be. The song is about wanting to be with someone and the impulse you might have to just drop everything and drive to them. In the studio, we thought, ‘Why not highlight that urgency by kicking into double time at the end of the song?’ We wanted to really showcase the immediacy of the moment.” Mission accomplished, Gentleman. And now that we’ve made it home…
Let’s Get Stoned: My personal favorite track on the album, a love is all you need tale, and it’s a total earworm. More than just appealing subject matter, the song touches on themes such as not having much in the way of material things but being wealthy beyond words with love and good vibes. …” I’m not much, but I’m yours, all yours…..and my heart is on the floor, and I’m begging you for more.” A gentle but necessary reminder that life’s greatest riches are not found in material things, but in having someone to love and realizing that means more than any top shelf whiskey ever possibly could. Walker’s vocals are accented beautifully by an extra tasty descending banjo riff in the song’s verses, a theme happily reprised by the mando in the bridge.
Where Have You Gone? We are immediately greeted with a rollicking banjo line, which serves as both the anchor as well as the hook of the song. Storm clouds, floods and broken relationships are the centerpieces of this tumultuous tale of another one biting the dust, both in terms of personal property, and a love gone bad. “It took all that I had and it took everything I loved. Flood water wash away my tears.”
Choctaw County (Ft. Lindsay Lou) – A reflection of what was and what could have been between two lovers, and the consequences of the choices they made along the way. “How did the days turn to years before I realized that wasting my time with you would be the best days of my life?”….“Oblivious to the world spinning around… If only that clock had just slown down.” The loneliness and longing dripping off Walker’s every word in his part of this beautiful duet with Lindsay Lou is only matched by the loneliness of the pedal steel, with a lick that swings and sways around Lou’s gorgeous vocals like the gentle bends of the hickory-lined banks of the Turkey Pin Creek.
With tempers flaring and the tempo rising, we come to One Last Time. A yearning plea from a scorned lover: “Won’t you set me free? Let my poor heart be.” Larrison’s pedal steel blasts off into an incredibly spacey & transcendent jam in the track’s midsection, before the Cline’s banjo comes in and brings us back to earth, where we land in….
Virginia: Sometimes, when life sucks, we need to just go back home and regroup and reassess our situation. “Not a dry eye my last mile, just to see that Blue Ridge one more time.” Warm river swims and lazy days with friends. Dark hollers and moonshine stills. If that’s not catharsis by way of home, I really don’t know what is.
Left Unsaid: Sometimes, the words we didn’t say are the ones that we perhaps should have….”It’s not so complicated, til we went and made it.” This track is short on regrets and heavy on the affirmations between two lovers. “And until that levy breaks, or this house goes up in flames, you’re stuck with me til death does us part. Know that I’m not perfect, darlin’, well you’re worth it. Knew that we were fallin’ from the start.” Bolin & Cline take our hands and our hearts as they walk us gently across the bridge and through the song’s climax.
Freightline Blues: Regardless of what genre label we attempt to apply to Clay Street Unit, I’m a firm believer that no album is complete without a train song. Box checked!
“And that railway lord keeps a’ callin’….calls me right back to that freightline.” Unsurprisingly, it’s heavy on Larrison’s pedal steel, and it’s just as long & lonesome as those straight steel tracks that fade off into the setting Western sun.
Rollin’: As we roll along, this call & response number gives us a glimpse into the despair of the one left behind as the seasons go by and the farm chores pile up out the window like winter snow, all the while lamenting the bygone lover seemingly chugging on without them, not missing a beat … “You keep rollin’…. rollin’ like them Appalachian hills….rollin’ like them freight train wheels…rollin’ through the plains like tumbleweed…..You keep rollin’ away from me.”
Way Over Yonder: A very gentle closing to the album, almost like a banjo lullaby. The old hound dog needs some more sleep and so does this writer, so this seems as good a place as any to wrap up this review.
I knew absolutely nothing about Clay Street Unit prior to hearing this album. Going into this blind, I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting this album to be, so it might seem utterly nonsensical to say Sin & Squalor blew past my expectations, but that’s where I’m at with it. This is just a fun collection of music, one that I’m finding I like more with each subsequent listen, and it’s one I’ll come back to time and time again. It scratches multiple musical itches all at once and is a wholly satisfying listen from start to finish. I am indeed very excited to see what’s next for this band and am already plotting when I can get to one of their upcoming shows.
As a born and raised Minnesotan, at the particular time of this writing (early 2026), I do feel compelled to say that in these troubled times, music & the community & kinship it fosters is, for many of us, our safe space. It’s a place where we can center ourselves in things that are real in a world that feels more and more artificial with each passing day. It’s been said often enough that it’s probably cliche at this point, but I think every one of us can benefit by taking a step back, taking a breath, and taking stock in any positivity in our own lives that we possibly can. Always remember to stay present in the moment, and stay grateful for what we do have, even if certain realities may be ugly. Music can be a beautiful & powerful vehicle to help us arrive at that state of mind. With that said, I’ll leave you with this quote by Sam Walker, which I think sums it up a lot better than I ever could: “Whenever we’re onstage, we’re just trying to throw a party, Life’s hard enough already. We want to remind people to let loose, love each other, and enjoy themselves.”
Album Rating: 8/10
