There’s something immediately familiar about Valerie Ponzio’s “American Smoke.” It has the kind of energy that makes you want to roll the windows down and keep driving, but the song doesn’t let that feeling stay uncomplicated for long.
Released Sept. 11, “American Smoke” is the latest preview of Ponzio’s forthcoming EP, Reina, due Oct. 9. Written by Ponzio and produced by Mike Minjarez, the track blends country storytelling with a rock-leaning sound that gives Ponzio plenty of room to let loose vocally.
The song starts with that sense of motion and freedom, but Ponzio gradually reveals the tension underneath it. The road becomes more than just a place to escape to. There’s uncertainty in the rearview mirror, questions about what freedom actually looks like and a feeling that the carefree version of the American dream isn’t quite as simple as it sounds.
That contrast is what makes “American Smoke” work. It’s an easy song to imagine blasting from the speakers on a long drive, but the lyrics give it enough weight to keep it from becoming just another road anthem.
Ponzio has called the track her “Springsteen anthem,” and the comparison makes sense in the way the song pairs a driving rock sound with observations about America and the people trying to find their place in it. Her West Texas roots are also woven throughout, giving the song a distinctly personal sense of place.
And, as with much of Ponzio’s work, her Mexican-American identity is part of the larger picture. Rather than treating that background as separate from her country music, she continues to make it part of the story she’s telling.
“American Smoke” feels like a strong introduction to this next chapter for Ponzio: loud enough for the highway, thoughtful enough to make you listen twice.
Reina is due Oct. 9. Listen to “American Smoke” here.
