‘Vindicated’: Singer-songwriter opening for Dashboard Confessional got her start in country music, but Taylor Acorn’s all punk

Taylor Acorn describes her modern take on pop-punk as if the music of Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift combined. But her music didn’t always sound this way.

Growing up on icons like Faith Hill and Shania Twain, Acorn’s music career began in the world of country. Much of her youth was spent with an acoustic guitar while playing covers and originals. In 2017, she began professionally pursuing music with a slew of pop-country singles going into the 2020s.

When the pandemic hit, Acorn was on the verge of quitting, as she wasn’t connecting with any of the music she had been creating. But like many artists during this unique time, she found herself experimenting and leaning into the sounds that truly defined her childhood: rock and, specifically, pop-punk of the 2000s.

She began to cover some of the most iconic songs of her youth and put her own spin on them, such as a purely acoustic version of Panic! At The Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” and Paramore’s “Brick by Boring Brick.”

With her covers gaining noticeable traction online, Acorn decided to finally lean into the sounds that have inspired her the most.

Another slew of singles and an EP – this time featuring heavier electric guitars and driving snare – came before her debut full-length album “Survival in Motion” was released last month.

“It feels really weird,” Acorn said on releasing a full-length LP. “I never really thought that I would ever have that opportunity. This was something that I’ve only ever dreamed of.”

Acorn didn’t have the expectation of writing a record when she went into the studio for a seven-day tenure.

Going in with a few completed yet unreleased songs, Acorn hoped to get a few more potential singles out of the week. But by the end (and finishing a new song each day), she realized not only how proud she was of each track, but that she had a ready-to-go album on her hands.

“It was like a nice little surprise at the end of a long week,” Acorn said.

While writing the record, Acorn found herself expressing the roller coaster of emotions that the past few years of unprecedented growth and popularity have taken her. From online comments to new love and mental health, the album is a dive into Acorn’s thoughts.

The 10-track record was released independently in September. Although being an artist without a label does have its downsides (mostly monetarily), Acorn has made the decision to stay independent primarily due to the freedom of artistic vision.

“It felt more authentic for myself to be the one that’s running the ship and putting out the music and the things that I want to say,” Acorn said. “I don’t want to have to let my own artistry fall to the wayside.”

She has been touring with two of her all-time favorite bands, Boys Like Girls and Dashboard Confessional, on a tour that will bring her to Spokane and the Podium on Saturday.

Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show start at $58 can be purchased through TicketsWest.

“To be able to go from listening to them, to covering their songs, to now playing with them, it’s a very full-circle, very surreal moment,” Acorn said.

“I wish I could tell my younger self, ‘You might be listening to “Vindicated” right now, but girl you’re going to be listening to it side-stage in a couple years!’ ”