It’s been a decade since Brice Randall Bickford began performing under the name “The Strugglers.” In this time, he has released five albums, toured the world, and earned a reputation as a master of subtle, narrative songwriting. Bickford's dense, poetic lyrics imbue his compositions with an enduring vitality, rewarding the listener with additional layers of meaning upon each successive listen. One might expect the transition to “solo artist” to find Bickford turning further inward, pursuing more confessional writing. While he now acknowledges his project as the work of a solitary songwriter, Bickford has instead chosen to broaden the focus, examining the external world and the thoughts and experiences of characters other than himself—particularly women. But these are not relationship songs. Rather they are portraits of female personae on a direct, post-romantic level.