With “Cages,” Evan Scott Olson doesn’t just write a song, he builds a mirror and holds it up to America. This track is more than a melody; it’s a confrontation with conscience, a protest disguised as a folk-pop song that feels both personal and painfully universal.
The song opens like a film in motion“Closer to the borderline, a man is doing prison time / He’s only guilty of the crime to feed his starving son.” In two lines, Olson captures a gut-punch reality that news headlines often sanitize. It’s the kind of storytelling that strips away distance and drops you right at the edge of empathy.
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From there, “Cages” unfolds like a road trip across the moral map of the nation, border towns, neighborhoods, political battlegrounds, all painted with stark lyrical precision. The refrain “Can you hear them calling / Wanting us to let them through” doesn’t just echo; it lingers, turning into an ethical question every listener has to answer.
What’s refreshing about Olson’s approach is his refusal to lean into despair. The bridge becomes a turning point: “So think about a brand new deal / Compassion isn’t hard to feel / It’s stronger than a gun.” Those lines cut through the noise with a simplicity that’s revolutionary in itself. It’s not performative optimism, it’s a challenge to imagine better.
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Olson keeps things restrained but purposeful. The production leaves room for the message to breathe, giving the vocals a raw edge that amplifies the urgency of the lyrics. There’s a quiet power in how the rhythm carries the story, steady, unflinching, and human. Nothing feels overdone, and yet every element matters.
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