A progressive folk quartet based in Boston, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards are a group eager to expand the boundaries of what people expect from an acoustic ensemble. Incorporating elements of R&B, dance music, and contemporary pop into their music, the project was founded by Laura Cortese, a vocalist, songwriter, and fiddler who released a handful of folk and singer/songwriter-oriented albums and backed artists including Pete Seeger, Band of Horses, and Uncle Earl before shifting creative gears. Their debut album, 2017's California Calling, focused on the ensemble's instrumental interplay and vocal harmonies, while 2020's Bitter Better took on a more ambitious approach, with greater use of keyboards and electronic accents. Originally from San Francisco, Cortese moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music and stayed in the area, working as a sidewoman in the local roots scene. Her debut album, Hush, showcased her fiddling on a set of Celtic folk. It was released by Jar Productions in 2004. She returned with a more streamlined set of contemporary folk-pop on the self-released Even the Lost Creek in 2006. The live album Blow the Candle Out followed in 2007. Continuing to bridge folk and pop, Acoustic Project arrived in 2010, and her fourth studio album, Into the Dark, followed in 2013. She issued All in Always in 2016 before Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards -- Cortese, Jenna Moynihan (fiddle), Valerie Thompson (cello), and Natalie Bohrn (bass) -- made their debut with California Calling on Compass Records in 2017. The album, which offered textured folk-rock with varied keyboards (including synthesizer), was produced and recorded by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive). The album was well-reviewed and the song "The Low Hum" attracted attention on streaming services. Cortese & the Dance Cards reunited with Sam Kassirer for the recording of their second full-length release, 2020's Bitter Better. Lyrically informed by the end of a long-term relationship, Bitter Better expanded on the first album's use of keyboards, adding electronic textures to many of the tracks. ~ Marcy Donelson & Mark Deming