Dolly Raynor’s "Back to the Mother" Is a Folk Revival Worth Listening To

By Judy Laine | La Times | October 17, 2025

In an era where folk music often leans too far into nostalgia or indie obscurity, Dolly Raynor arrives like a warm breeze through the trees, fresh, grounded, and soulfully wise. Her latest single, "Back to the Mother," is a stunning ode to nature’s power and our deep, aching need to return to it.

Raised on a steady diet of Joni Mitchell, Gillian Welch, and campfire harmonies, Raynor doesn’t just write songs, she tells stories. Her voice, clear and timeworn in the best way, carries a kind of agelessness that makes you feel like she’s singing to you from another era. But her perspective is unmistakably of this moment.

"Back to the Mother" is both a personal escape and a universal call. a reverent, poetic journey back to nature as sanctuary. "Oh, carry me, river, carry me slow, Where the wild seeds whisper and the old winds blow," she sings in the chorus, her voice fluttering gently over fingerpicked acoustic guitar and subtle string flourishes. It’s a protest song disguised as a lullaby, and it hits deep.

"This song came out of a really heavy place,” Raynor tells us from her sun-drenched porch in Northern California, where she lives in a small cabin with her rescue dog, Mabel. “I felt burnt out, disconnected, from the world, from myself. So, I left the city, unplugged, and let the quiet do its work. Back to the Mother is what came out of that silence."

That authenticity bleeds into every note. Raynor isn't interested in overproduction or trendy aesthetics. Her sound is raw, tender, and human, echoing the traditions of American folk without feeling derivative. Critics are already calling her the "new voice of conscious folk", and some have even dared to whisper comparisons to early Joan Baez.

Offstage, Raynor is as down-to-earth as they come. She spends most of her days writing songs at her kitchen table, walking Mabel through redwood trails, and making homemade jam. Her Instagram is refreshingly free of filters and filled instead with handwritten lyrics, photos of wildflowers, and the occasional muddy paw print.

But make no mistake, this is an artist poised for much bigger stages.

"I never planned on trying to ‘make it’ in the industry,” she says with a laugh. “But if these songs help people feel more connected—to themselves, to the earth, to each other—then that’s enough for me."

With Back to the mother, Dolly Raynor isn’t just making music. She’s building a movement, quiet, steady, and strong as the forests she sings about. And if this is just the beginning, the world would do well to listen closely.