Sarah Bethe Nelson has worked most of her life as a bartender in San Francisco. She’s seen and heard it all, and this comes through on her debut solo album. Produced by Kelley Stoltz, a Bay Area musician who intuitively knew the sound Nelson needed, the album is a multilayered triumph. The title track features a driving new wave–ish gait while letting Nelson pull back on the powerful emotionalism that guides the previous track, “Paying”: a five-minute exorcism where as a bartender she lets a man who gave her a bad turn know he’s no longer getting free drinks (or anything) from her.