Greg Freeman: Burnover [Album Review]

Greg Freeman
Burnover
Transgressive Records/Canvasback Music [2025]

“Burnover is the kind of indie rock album that makes you believe again.”

Album Overview: Greg Freeman grew up in Maryland and now calls Burlington, Vermont home. His songs weave together regional history, personal reflection, and a restless indie rock spirit. Freeman’s debut I Looked Out (2022) arrived quietly—self-released with zero promotion—but its sharp writing quickly caught ears and earned him a busy touring schedule. That experience, mixed with his encounters with New England’s layered past, informs his sophomore effort, Burnover.

The album takes its name from the “Burned-Over District” of 19th-century New York, a hotbed of spiritual revival and cultural upheaval. Freeman uses that imagery to wrestle with grief, belonging, and identity, blending local history with broader American contradictions. Across ten tracks, Burnover feels both personal and panoramic—songs about historical figures and fleeting communities sit comfortably next to plainspoken reflections on life and loss. The result is an indie rock record that sounds both classic and vital, full of hooks, grit, and the kind of lived-in storytelling that makes you believe Freeman’s name belongs alongside today’s best singer-songwriters.

Musical Style: Burnover thrives on contrasts. It pairs indie rock drive with twangy textures, bursts of noise, and big dynamic swings. Freeman’s guitar remains the backbone, but he surrounds it with horns, pedal steel, and inventive percussion. Some tracks explode into heavy crescendos, while others pull back into hushed, melodic spaces—always balancing rawness with surprising beauty.

Evolution of Sound: While I Looked Out leaned into a more DIY vibe, Burnover takes the next leap with a bigger band and richer instrumentation. Recorded with Vermont collaborators, these songs are built for the stage—layered, punchy, and immediate. Freeman doesn’t lose the closeness of his debut, but this time he leans harder into expansive arrangements and big hooks, proving he can pull off both both sides of the indie rock scale.

Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of Jason Molina’s stark honesty, Paul Westerberg’s ragged tunefulness, or Neutral Milk Hotel’s dense, horn-drenched chaos will find familiar sparks here. At different turns, Burnover also nods to Guided By Voices’ freewheeling punch, Stephen Malkmus’ sly melodic twists, and the grit-and-twang of Patterson Hood’s Drive-By Truckers. If you like folk traditions pushed through the noisy, unpredictable lens of indie rock—Greg Freeman is your guy.

Pivotal Tracks: “Point and Shoot” kicks things off with urgency and cinematic scope, immediately setting the tone. “Gallic Shrug” slows things down, stripped to guitar, drums, and an earnest delivery that feels like Freeman playing right in your living room. “Salesman” swells with swagger—horns, harmonies, and the sweaty rush of his live shows bottled into one track. “Gulch” keeps it short and sharp, a two-minute blast of rock ‘n’ roll energy. Closer “Wolf Pine” stretches nearly nine minutes, starting with mellow piano before erupting into a cathartic crescendo. Meanwhile, “Gone (Can Mean a Lot of Things)” shows off Freeman’s restless guitar force, pulling riffs into something both commanding and raw.

Lyrical Strength: Freeman’s songwriting balances the personal with the historical. He grounds his lyrics in real places and events, yet his phrasing leaves room for listeners to see themselves in the stories. His characters wrestle with uncertainty, grief, and disconnection, but the plainspoken delivery makes the weight of those struggles feel both vivid and approachable. By rooting his narratives in geography and myth, Freeman creates a kind of timeless Americana—songs that feel as much about today as they do about the past.

Final Groove: With Burnover, Greg Freeman cements himself as a songwriter worth circling on your indie rock radar. It’s an album that expands his range without losing the heart that made his debut so striking. There’s swagger, sweat, and vulnerability all in the same breath—proof that Freeman can write songs that matter both in headphones and on stage. If his first record hinted at big things, this one confirms it: Greg Freeman is building a catalog you’ll want to follow, and Burnover feels like the moment where everything locks in.

GREG FREEMAN LINKS
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Transgressive Records | Canvasback Music