Rising country superstar Redferrin is set to release his debut EP this coming Friday. Having burst onto the scene as recently as 2021 and with a slew of awesome singles under his belt (not to mention the backing of the giants at Warner Music Nashville), he is already set up to be a household name sooner rather than later. So, no pressure with this release, Redferrin! Let’s dive in and see if it lives up to the hype!
‘Jack and Diet Coke’ is the perfect way to open the EP. Slowly building up the instrumentation and vocals through the first verse and chorus. Speaking of, the chorus is simple but infectiously catchy. Redferrin ‘s vocals are incredible and effortless, fitting surprisingly perfectly over the guitars and strings. It’s all so simple yet so very effective. We even get some lead guitar after the second chorus. It’s slightly distorted and low, adding an almost rock vibe to the otherwise country-pop sound. It’s a fantastic song and as I said, one hell of a way to open the release.
‘Lose Her for Nothin” keeps the steady pace and relatively chilled pace. However, the effects on the instruments again give off faint rock vibes, like a Nickelback or Puddle of Mudd feel. It picks up a little more in the chorus this time too, having more of an arena feel to it. It’s another fantastic chorus, too. The harmonies on the vocals are perfect and makes it sound all the more massive. I still cannot get over how good Redferrin ‘s vocals are, too. It’s a mix of Koe Wetzel and Chris Stapleton, and fits perfectly with the music. There isn’t much of a bridge, but the dropped down final chorus was nice and rounded out the track nicely. It’s an awesome song, and one that easily makes our playlist!
‘Miss Summer’ is another fantastic, relaxed country song. The simple instrumentation builds into a big, catchy chorus, with lyrics as you’d expect from the genre. It’s hard not to love it, but I was getting a tad curious by this point if Redferrin had any other sounds in the tank.
‘Just Like Johnny’ kinda did just that. Sure, it was still pretty stripped-back and had a steady tempo. However, the guitar tone was nice, and it built up into a bit of a bigger sound in the chorus, almost rock with the acoustic drums. It’s like a combination of HARDY’s newer stuff and Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’. It was nice to have a bit of a bridge/guitar solo in the middle to break things up, too! It’s an amazing track, and one that is gonna be stuck in my head for days to come. Another easily playlisted song!
Tracks like ‘Doin’ Life’ and ‘She Likes Whiskey’ slow things down again. The former is another incredible track though, and maybe my favourite of the album. It builds and flows perfectly through the verses and choruses, having a real epic feel by the second, never mind the last one. It again has a touch of a rock feel to it, which I love. And the lyrics hit hard; full of emotion and they really resonate with me, though I’m not sure what that says about me… Referrin ‘s vocal fit perfectly over the top of it all, too. The solo was a nice little touch again too, and the instrumentation slowly dropping back out again to close out was a perfect touch. Damn, what an experience. Goosebumps, for one. Playlist, for two.
Oh, and none of that is to take away from ‘…Whiskey’, either. It’s a great slower track. It just doesn’t hit as hard as ‘Doin’ Life’.
The closing and seventh track on the EP (practically an album, no?) is a slower, country rock track, and the perfect way to close out this release. Big hints of Jelly Roll here in all the best ways. It builds to a huge chorus, but the whole track is pretty catchy, vocally. I can already hear it going down amazing live. The production on this track especially is incredible too, and stands out to me for that despite the whole release being amazingly well mixed and mastered. I think it’s the MASSIVE snare and clapping sounds. A simple track that I’d have happily taken another minute of, but it’s in and out in well-under three great minutes.
Overall: This is an awesome EP! It’s clear that Redferrin is going to be a huge name in country in the next couple of years, if not this one after this release. Every track on it is great, while the couple of standouts honestly blew me away. ‘Doin’ Life’ very well may be my track of the year so far, it is that good. The fact that he’s been around for such a short time too and is already putting out stuff this good is insane. I already can’t wait to hear more, and will have this on repeat a lot in the coming weeks and months!
The Score: 8.5/10