Amber Lawrence’s eighth studio album is a joyful counterpoint to its at times weighty 2022 predecessor Living for the Highlights, a record written after losing her unborn baby. Celebratory and self-assured, Suburban Cowgirl is light and playful, as evidenced by “This Suburban Lifetime”—an autobiographical snapshot of domestic bliss with a loving husband, “one little boy, one big mortgage.” Written while balancing a heavy touring schedule with school dropoffs and family duties, Lawrence’s suburban lifestyle is a recurring theme, beginning with the album’s title—she’s a lifelong devotee of country music despite being born in the inner Sydney suburb of Mascot. “Live a Country Song” (a co-write with The Wolfe Brothers) is a reminder that country is as much a state of mind as it is a rural postcode, while “Sing Me Home” is a love letter to her fans and career (“I wouldn’t be here today without the yodeling blues,” she sings, a nod to her 2006 debut EP, I’ve Got the Blues). “You Can Admit You Like Country Music” is a boot-scooting romp sparked by an appearance on Australian morning TV, while “That’s Cowgirl to Me” (co-written with Melanie Dyer) is an anthem celebrating her resilience while guiding her career (“I am the boss of my own wild frontier”).