communicatorchs Longtime legend of folk music Alynda Segarra released their new album, “The Past Is Still Alive, on Feb. 23. Segarra, who records music as “Hurray For The Riff Raff, tells the story of growing up a runaway. They sing about the individuals that took them in as a teenager, their constant train-hopping and horrors like drugs and global warming that plague communities everywhere.

The LP, a smoky, cowboy-esque Americana-folk album with rock roots, is full of heart-wrenching lyrics and touching imagery. Segarra, a queer, nonbinary artist, writes about the discrimination and hatred against queer people and offers their heart as a temporary safe haven. In the third track, “Colossus of Roads,” Segarra writes about love during fraught times. “I know that it’s dangerous, but I wanna see you undress / Wrap you up in the bomb shelter of my feather bed.” In “Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive),” Segarra sings truthfully about the horrors of addiction in vulnerable communities. “Most of our old friends are dead / So, test your drugs, remember Narcan.”

“The Past Is Still Alive” is a triumph of storytelling: rich with anecdotes and exceptionally honest, it takes a hard look at America’s past, present and future.