Hen's Teeth

This record, and Light Verse, show that he is still searching, still working hard, and still able to imbue his albums with the same deep feeling and unstinting beauty that he has from the beginning.

Another Iron & Wine album that consolidates Beam’s reputation as a songwriter of distinction.

The result is a record of many radiant treasures, inviting and rewarding maximum immersion. [Mar 2026, p.105]

Hen's Teeth is where Beam truly leans into the possibilities of dropping simple songs into the laps of intuitive musicians and delighting in what emerges. [Mar 2026, p.27]

Hen's Teeth is benchmark roots music from start to finish. [Apr 2026, p.85]

With Hen’s Teeth, again, Sam Beam brings us more well-aged Iron & Wine.

Even on its own merits and severed from its sibling, Hen’s Teeth is a reminder of Sam Beam’s stirring songwriting prowess and how he has always been capable of wringing new sentiments and ideas out of his tried-and-true indie-folk milieu.

The songs start bare and personal, and if they swell with strings or rollick with muted celebration (as in whirling “In Your Ocean”) they never really escape the quiet, contemplative category. Not that this is an entirely bad thing. There are still effortlessly shapely melodies, fitted like skin with perceptive turns of phrase. There are still very lovely arrangements, a little airy this time around, but neither slack nor stuffed nor overly attention hungry. And the musicianship is, as always, excellent.

Maybe he’s lost the spartan immediacy of his earliest records, but he’s gained a sense of camaraderie that makes his music feel nourishing.