Pinto (album)

Jordan Ostrom, known professionally as Sykamore, wrote or co-wrote every song on the album.[2] The album name, Pinto, was inspired by the Ford Pinto, a car from the 1970s. Sykamore stated that she read a manual for the car in a shop in Franklin, Tennessee that described it as "this car that was really messed up, causing engine fires and blowing up".[1][3] She used this as inspiration for the title track, opting to write a song "where the car is kind of a metaphor for young love or first love for somebody" that was "at times toxic but [a] very exciting relationship.[1][3] She noted that she was able to "indulge her pop influences" on this record, and credited producer Michael Knox for creating "strong dynamics" in the music.[4] She initially hoped to release the album in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic altered her plans. She instead released a five-song extended play titled California King that year, with all five songs as well her intermittent promotional singles being included on Pinto.[3] Each song was written and recorded after she fully moved from Alberta to Nashville, and Sykamore viewed the album as the end of her "first chapter in Nashville".[3][5]

Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald stated that the album is "album is full of savvy pop songs that maintain enough of a twang to appeal to mainstream country radio".[3] Roman Mitz of The Music Express described "Wallflower" as the most "powerful" song in the album.[1] Nanci Dagg of Canadian Beats Media referred to Pinto as an "equal combination of country and pop".[4] Jason MacNeil of Parton and Pearl said that Sykamore "has a lovely delivery to the primarily highbrow pop country material," on the album, adding that she "isn't crashing and burning with Pinto, more like confidently galloping on a horse of the same name".[6] Kat Harlton of The Harlton Empire stated that the album "pairs empathetic storytelling with instantly memorable hooks and sing-along choruses that capture the emotional rollercoaster of youth and young love".[7] Jenna Weishar of Front Porch Music declared that Pinto is "a journey for listeners, packed with a track for any type of listener".[8]