Carter Faith Shows Country’s Dark Side in ‘Sinners In a Small Town’ Video

Rising country talent Carter Faith documents the darker side of small-town life in the video for “Sinners In a Small Town,” premiering today (October 29) on Sounds Like Nashville.

Co-written by Faith with Margaret Valentine and Jen Stegall, the thought-provoking ballad reads like a tormented diary entry, all about a tight-knit community with secrets to hide. That’s a familiar story no matter where you go in this country, but it becomes particularly vivid in Faith’s hands. She matches the edgy theme with confessional vocals and a rootsy country sound … and for the track’s video, puts a face to the pain.

Bathed in red light and with Faith narrating the story, it focuses on a self-perpetuating cycle. On one side is a teenaged jock pushed too far and too hard by his badge-wielding father, and on the other stands a cheerleader molded into a silent statue by her mother. When put together, they add up to a recipe for trauma that no one thinks they can avoid. But maybe they could, if they just took a step back.

“‘Sinners in a Small Town’ was written to show the frustration that we have all felt when bad things occur and justice isn’t served,” Faith says of the track. “We wanted to write a song that felt like a specific story, but also keep it vague enough and relatable, because I do believe that everyone has experienced or witnessed this injustice happen. When working with the team at Running Bear Film and coming up with a treatment for the video, we all wanted to keep shedding light on a cycle that is all too familiar. To me the video feels spooky and movie-like, but is still real and raw. It means a lot to me.”

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“Sinners in a Small Town” means so much to me. When @jenthegiant @mkv45 and I wrote it we just wanted to get some emotions out and tell some stories, so all I can hope is that it resonates with some of y’all. Sometimes small towns can hurt, sometimes big cities can hurt. I just hope people who sing along to this one feel like they are seen and a part of something. I love you guys❤️ thank you for the magic, I am so grateful

A post shared by C A R T E R F A I T H (@carterfaithofficial) on Oct 15, 2020 at 9:29pm PDT

A North Carolina native, Faith’s country career is just getting underway after attending Nashville’s music-centric Belmont University and singing a development deal with Altadena, a company founded by the late producer and songwriter busbee (Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, Keith Urban). Faith’s first single “Leaving Tennessee” turned heads with impressive streaming numbers, and she released “Sinners In a Small Town” in mid-October.