The modern country-Americana megastar Max McNown dropped his highly anticipated third album in as many years today! I remember loving his last album last year, so have high hopes for this one too. A couple of the singles I’ve checked out so far are great, so I’m excited to dive in and see what it’s about!
The album starts pretty slow, fittingly, with ‘Slow Down, Slow Down’. Max’s fantastic vocals come over the top of a simple drum beat and guitar chord progression. It builds up before dropping out even more for the first half of the chorus, just being guitar and vocals. It makes it hit even harder when everything explodes back in for the second half, too! It’s a short and sweet track at barely over two and a half minutes, but is beautifully written and the dynamics and production are a real standout point. A great way to open the album!
The chilled out, slower vibes continue through ‘First Born Daughter’, fitting somewhere perfectly between old school Western and modern indie-Americana. It builds a bit more naturally into a bigger, more stadium-filling chorus this time, and it’s one that will be stuck in my head for days to come! It’s a beautiful, heart-felt love song, and a massive early album highlight for me. And what a choice for a single too, although there were quite a few from this release… Great stuff!
I like the rockier intro for single ‘Done For’, it upping the energy and pace a little and being an excellent change of pace. It leads to an absolutely massive chorus that is over as fast as it starts, but is so very memorable. His lyrics are again amazing and his voice fits this sort of style so well, reminding me a little bit of both Kip Moore and Evan Honer simultaneously. It’s another short and sweet track, but we even get some time for a little guitar lead part, which was nice. I like the rockier edge to his sound a lot, and this is a track that easily makes it onto our playlist. If you’re going to check out any track from this album, let it be this one. I’m a little obsessed!
The higher energy continues later in the album through tracks like singles ‘Heart You Didn’t Break’ and ‘Standstill’, ‘Make my Peace’ and ‘Selah’s Song’. The former reminds me of Mumford and Sons in the best way, and is another MASSIVE highlight song. However, all are great songs in their own right, and break up the generally slower pace of the album perfectly, exactly what a release of this length and magnitude needs. It also shows Max’s great range of different sounds and styles, his vocals fitting it all so well, and it’s all fantastically written. They are certainly more of ‘my vibe’ of songs compared to some of the others, as much as I enjoy other tracks on here, and I’d recommend all of them to absolutely anyone!
The other singles, ‘Something to Someone’, ‘World Change Me’, ‘Famous to You’ and ‘Comets’, are all more great choices for pre-release songs, and fantastic representations of Max’s sound and talent. The former is an excellent indie-Americana song, complete with maybe the best chorus on the whole album. ‘Famous to You’ reflects that style perfectly, too. ‘World Change Me’ has a great Western edge to it, and the stomping pace is excellent. Then you have the slower, more ballad-like ‘Comets’, being arguably the best of this pace and style on this release. Don’t get me wrong, there were maybe too many singles for the album, but when it’s this long it makes sense for there to be, and each represent a different part of the album perfectly. And they’re all great songs!
A lot of the other songs on the album are more slower, beautiful songs. They all fit the vibe and tone of the album excellently, and are very good songs in their own right. ‘Isn’t That Love?’ is probably my favourite of the bunch. However, all of them do have a slight album-track feel to them, and there’s just too many of them. I don’t mind a longer album generally, but 17 tracks when a lot of it channels the same sort of vibe and energy is a little much for me. Now, he is a massive name so is clearly doing something right, and there will be plenty of people who love all of these. They’re all well written, well performed and recorded songs, but when put together in the same collection I personally found it a little hard a listen, especially by the end. Still, if you are a fan of Max, they are still well worth a listen! The closer is also beautiful, giving me goosebumps, so there is that! The poem in the middle is phenomenal.
Overall: I certainly had a good time with this album. As I’ve said before, he is an incredibly talented musician and not a single track on here is bad by any stretch. And as I said, if you are already a fan of Max or his general style, you may have a lot of mileage for this release! However, it is a touch too long for me personally. There’s a phenomenal album tucked away in here spread across maybe 10 tracks, but the rest do bog it down, in this writers humble opinion. It’s very much a problem across the country spectrum though, and is probably why I’m not as big a fan of guys like Morgan Wallen and Riley Green. This is a great indie-infused country Americana album, and if you are a fan of the style it is very much worth the time and effort. But it’s not a release I’ll be revisiting in full all too often. It sadly falls just short of his sophomore release.
Album three from the American soul/heartland country rock quintet is dropping tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more excited! arriving just over a year removed from their stellar last album, the hype around this release is high, so getting to hear it a little early is a real pleasure. We sadly didn’t check said album out at the time, but have listened since in preparation to see them at The Long Road this year, and since loved it (and their live show!). So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
The opening single sets the tone for the album perfectly. A great, bluegrass-style guitar lick soon has Jason’s great vocals over the top, the multi-tracking on it making it sound massive from the jump. The song builds perfectly with more vocal harmonies and the steady inclusion of percussion. And it never quite explodes in like I expected either, instead just adding more and more with each new part. The more full guitar sounds from around the midpoint were awesome. Honestly, the whole song has an excellent, chilled-out vibe to it, nestled somewhere between Buffett and Jack Johnson. It’s catchy, well crafted and excellently performed, and a massive early highlight!
Another single, ‘Shit Show’, picks up the pace and the rock vibes, the riffing being so very Skynyrd in all the best ways. The vocals give it a bit more of a late 90s pop edge to it, which I also love, and both styles combine together excellently. The main way I can describe it just fun vibes, and I love it! Also, the clapping; great addition! The chorus isn’t a massive sing-along one, but it is still a catchy track, and the little guitar solo tucked away in the middle is a great addition to the song. The dynamics are great too as it drops back not long after into a slow, epic part filled with some great vocal moments and strings, all before ramping back up into the indie-country rock. It’s yet another excellent track, and a very good choice for a single!
The singles keep rolling with ‘Too Good, Too Bad’. It’s got a great stomping pace to it, but keeps the same upbeat, chilled out and fun vibes from the other tracks so far! The vocals are great, with the harmonies adding even more depth and awesomeness to them. And, from the verse to the choruse, it’s all hugely catchy! It’s another simply arranged song, but so infectiously fun, it almost impossible not to dance along to it! Once again we get an awesome, technical little guitar solo tucked away in the middle too, keeping the track amazing throughout. However the chorus and harmonies are the main kicker here, and make for a truly excellent song. The band are three for three so far on greatness, and this is a track that easily makes our playlist!
‘Highway Robbery’ is the most traditional country track on the release, giving big Brooks and Dunn vibes in all the best ways. The riff is great, while all the rest of the instrumentation adds so much, from the keys to the guitar to the drums. However, the vocals also fit the track perfectly, and are fantastic in their own right. Once again, the arrangements and structure are simple, but it works so well with the style of the song, and it still sounds so very High Heat. And it still gets a bit more rockin’ by the end! As you can tell, it’s another excellent song on an album so far full of them! Shame about the fade out though, I was hoping for a big ending with some half time and stuff…
The first non-single of the release, ‘Roll me All the Way’, opens on some great isolated vocals. The acoustic instrumentation soon comes in, and of course it’s very Willy in all the best ways! It’s a steady paced, incredibly chilled-out and exceptionally catchy track, and is just again a lot of fun! Honestly, it’s a similar vibe through the closer ‘If Heaven had a Honky Tonk’, right down to the vocal intro. And, honestly, it’s a fantastic way to close out the album, tying everything together excellently, as well as being a great song and a big highlight in its own right! That chorus is going to be stuck in my head for days to come!
Songs like ‘Willy, Waylon & Waltzes’, ‘Goodbye Moon’ and ‘Fastest Fool in Town’ are all slower, more ballad tracks. All give off a little more of an Orville Peck/Zach Top vibe to them, and are excellent in their own right! I also surprisingly love that the former two are one-after-another, breaking up the more higher-energy songs well, and slotting excellently into the middle of the album. Meanwhile the latter also reminds me a little of more of a Skynyrd-style southern rock ballad, which is also awesome! It’s some classic country in all the best ways and, while all are a little similar, they’re all fantastic tracks in their own right!
Meanwhile, the likes of singles ‘Cowboy Cold Beer’, ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ and ‘All This Pain’ are more like their signature blend of indies rock and chilled-out, upbeat country. Having said that, they also still have their own identities, that’s for sure! The former is a catchy, simple affair with plenty of catchy vocal lines and even some rapping, which was a great surprise! Meanwhile ‘How to Get Away…’ has a bit more of a Western flavour to it, while also turning up the indie and even RHCP vibes a little with that bass. And the latter is a straight-up rockier track. So yeah, again all are excellent songs that fit the tone of the release well. All are just as great as the rest of the album, honestly!
‘When Love Tries To Hurt You’, ‘What Do You Know About Love’ up the chilled vibes even more, and I love it! Having said that, both have some elements of rock still, and are infectiously catchy in their own right! The former is one of my favourite tracks on the album even, and that says a lot! Meanwhile the latter, while a little ballady again, still feels a little rock driven, like the perfect mix of Pinegrove and Treaty Oak Revival. Again, both songs are excellent in their own right, fitting the tone of the release perfectly while constantly keeping it interesting with a slight variation of their sound each time. I can’t get over how talented this band are!
Overall: I really loved this release! It doesn’t feel its length and there truly isn’t a bad song on it! The variety on display is excellent, showing just how fantastic the band are as combined songwriters, and they all play and sing their asses off throughout. The band have continued to build momentum in quick order the last few years, and it’s so easy to see why when their studio work is of such high quality! If you are at all into country or a more chilled-out, light-hearted rock sound, I cannot recommend this album enough. I’ll be spinning it a lot in the weeks and months to come, and don’t be surprised to see it high on our albums of the year list come December!
We kicked things off with a bang on the Sunday on the Interstate with the incredible Errol Linton. We had no idea who he was and very much just stumbled across him, but he and his band were phenomenal. Some of the best blues players I’ve ever seen all combined together, and they all played their asses off for their entire set. From all the soloing to the catchy writing, it was like I was back in Louisiana at the start of the blues and jazz movements, and he very much has two big new fans in me and my wife!
Then we headed over to the Rhinestone stage for last year’s talent contest, Liam Price. The guy has had a real whirlwind year since that contest, and has gained quite the rabbis following in the process. It’s easy to see why too, as he put on an amazing set, especially for so early in the day. Something that I did appreciate that I haven’t touched on until now is that all the sets across the weekend have been pretty long, giving every artist plenty of time to breath and really showcase what they’re about. I think it worked fantastically for Price, who had the packed-out crowd hanging on every word through the entire half-hour. And, of course, the highlight was the beautiful ‘Little Star of August’, though that may be mainly due to my own impending child! The whole set was great though, and I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. I can see a very bright future ahead!
Ryan & Rory absolutely blew me away on the Rhinestone after Liam. I have been a fan of the duo since I interviewed them last year, but I wasn’t expecting them to be quite this fantastic live! And, as a running theme this year, they were pretty heavy in a live setting compared to the track, though some of that may be attributed to the volume of the stage. I certainly wasn’t complaining though, them walking the line between southern rock and radio-country perfectly! The duo are born showmen and work so well together, while their band for the show also put in the work and made them sound awesome! And their setlist was packed with awesome songs, from their brand new one that dropped a couple of days before to their older stuff. They really impressed me, to the point they have been one of the bands I’ve not stopped listening to since getting home.
Dan Byrne was an interesting one. Taking Rivers’ spot from last year of ‘why the hell is this act on this festival?’, the crowd once again showed up, filling Buddy’s more than for most artists I’d seen that weekend. And, being a fan of him since his days in Revival Black, I knew he was going to be good. He had one of the best voices of the festival, and seemed genuinely appreciative of people actually showing up for his set, putting on an energetic performance because of it. And I knew his music was awesome too, having loved his album the other month, so to hear a lot of it live was awesome! It was great to see the set so popular as he fully deserves all the love, and I’m somehow an even bigger fan of the guy and his band coming out of the weekend!
Rosalie Cunningham followed Dan, continuing on the wild Snakefarm takeover of ‘let’s see what out there genres Baylen will let us book’. However, I’m not complaining, as I thought she put on one of the most fun and interesting sets of the whole weekend! My brain kept comparing it to Jethro Tull, however right or wrongly, but her prog-infused folk-rock was fantastically crafted and written, regardless. And, what’s more, is her and her band performed it masterfully. Her vocals are just as amazing live as they are on track, and some of the riffing and arrangements honestly blew me away. It certainly wasn’t for everyone at the festival, but I had a blast and will certainly be keeping an eye out for when she’s next near me to see her again!
On the way out we caught a little bit of Buddy’s we caught a little bit of the legendary Jim Lauderdale on the Front Porch. After two full-on rock bands, Jim just sitting there with an acoustic and some slow traditional country was a bit of a comedown. However, it certainly wasn’t bad, and I’m glad I got to see a few songs. Then, it was over to Rhinestone for Ann Wilson. Musically and vocally she was brilliant, but my gosh was it Jesusy. Some of her songs are really well written and catchy, but when I feel like I’m being beaten over the head with a bible every couple of minutes I kinda zone out. I get that she was here for the Christian festival that sadly and tragically got called off, but it was like her religion got more concentrated and spilled out doubly at TLR. I’m not massively well versed on her music, so if she has less religious songs, please let me know as I’d love to hear them!
We took a bit of a wander afterwards, catching the cutest dog show every for a bit before catching the back half of The Felice Brothers. Both were fun and entertaining in their own way. I learnt that some owners have so much better control over their dogs than me and the wife do, but also how to try and make them do tricks better (it didn’t work). I also learnt that the rockier, higher tempo Felice Brothers stuff is right up my street, while the slower stuff wasn’t so much. Still, it was nice to sit and relax and watch both from a little further back, especially when the weather had held out all day!
Story time. I went travelling in the US back in the before times (2019), and when I was working for a woman in Santa Cruz she took me to a bluegrass show one night. I loved it, but was slightly too tipsy and lost the ticket stub, so forgot who I’d seen. Fast forward to when The Brothers Comatose were announced as Shakey Graves’ replacement and I went to check them out on YouTube I realised… I’d found them! You couldn’t make this up, folks!
As for the band and their set, HOLY CRAP. They were my introduction to live Bluegrass music, they’ve been the marker to which I compare all others from the genre, and they still hold up as the best I’ve seen. It was an hour of some of the best musicianship and playing I have ever seen, each and every member getting their own chance to shine throughout. The fiddle, banjo and mandolin solos utterly blew my mind, while the actual songwriting and vocals from Ben and Steve were excellent throughout. The crowd were surprisingly big into it too, given how short notice they had to check it out beforehand. Plenty were singing and dancing and clapping along throughout. And it was clear the band were enjoying themselves, laughing and joking around and all huddling up to jam together. The covers were certainly highlights, with an epic rendition of ‘Dreams’ being my highlight of the weekend, alongside their absolutely ridiculous Wheeler Walker Jr. nod. However, their own songs were just as excellent, with ‘Golden Grass’ and set closer ‘The IPA Song’ also being great. I honestly can’t gush over the band enough, I am so glad I got to see them again and already want to once more. I’d recommend them to absolutely anyone, on track but especially live!
And with that, we reached the closing headliner of the weekend, Maren Morris. I have to admit she wasn’t really my thing heading into the festival, though I had heard lots of people say how good she is live. I do have to say, she sounded great, that much is for sure! However, I’m not sure if it was the sheer exhaustion of the weekend catching up with me or the generally slower, poppy nature of her music, but I found myself flagging in the last third, and we left a couple before the end. As I said, she was so very good, but I don’t think it was quite my sort of music. Plus, there wasn’t much of a show, just her walking about the stage, barely acknowledging her band. As good as she sounded and as well written as her songs were, it was a touch boring to watch. I know plenty who loved the set and I’m so glad, I’m certainly in the minority. But it was still a fittingly big name, and a fittingly big conclusion to a great festival!
And there we have it, another great year at The Long Road! Some amazing bands and some of the loveliest people around, gathered at still my favourite site in the country. Despite the rumblings of unhappiness before the event, it is still run phenomenally well for the customers, and there is almost too much to do in just a weekend. I’d recommend the festival to anyone even slightly into your country or Americana music, and already can’t wait to go again next year!
Our second day started out with another artist we’d seen before, this time pretty recently, in Bec O’Malley. He opened for Mr Pardi back in May, and we really enjoyed him then. However, we enjoyed him even more this time around! The sound on the Rhinestone stage was pretty great all weekend, and Bec having a full band backing him this time filled out his music to a fantastic degree. It was a similar setlist to when we saw him previously, but it felt fresh and still excellent seeing it again, especially on an outdoor, festival stage. I said it then and I’ll say it again now, Bec is already set to be a MASSIVE name in the coming years, so I’d recommend seeing him in smaller slots like this while you still can!
Next we had a bit of a stroll up to the Interstate to check out the opening few of Brennan Leigh. She certainly caught our ear heading into the festival, and she didn’t disappoint live! She’s the perfect blend of old-school country and bluegrass, a style I hadn’t gotten much of so far over the weekend, so I was certainly down. Her and her band performed it masterfully too, everyone working together to produce a great sound. Sadly we could only stay for a few, as our good friendsFirst Time Flyers made their triumphant main stage debut after a few years on other stages. Now, they always sound excellent, the quartet being a contender with Shires for best harmonies, but the level of show they put on on the bigger stage was fantastic. Right from the offset they had the big intro, making them feel like a massive deal, and the four of them (and their band) performed like their lives depended on it for the full hour! They have been kicking ass at this festival, and across the UK as a whole, for years now, but this felt like a band at the next level. Another artist I’d recommend absolutely anyone reading this to check out!
One of my most anticipated sets of the weekend was up next in Zandi Holup. I loved her album last year, still listening to it on the regular, so getting to hear it in a live setting was truly special. Honestly, her opening on her big breakout hit ‘Gas Station Flowers’ was unexpected, but set the beautiful, bittersweet tone of the set perfectly. From other album highlights like ‘Dirty Wings’ and ‘Wildflower’ to upcoming new tracks, it was a really great setlist. Her voice is so unique and powerful, and had me misty eyed on more than one occasion. And there was something about her stood there with her guitar, the only other accompaniment being an incredible fiddle player, that was so captivating, and filled out the sound so well in the packed out tent. It’s wild to me that I actually didn’t mind it not being a full band setup, and would love to see this sort of set again! She teased a new album for 2027 and I already can’t wait; hopefully we get a full tour off the back of it over here!
Another artist we were familiar with was up next on the Rhinestone, Uncle Lucius. Much like with Bec above, as much as I enjoyed them at The Bodga, they blew me away here! It started a little low energy which was odd, but the rockier numbers really hooked me in, and I was obsessed just a few songs in. They were another band that had had a big feel and vibe to them, the show being so well put together and flowed excellently, as well as sounding perfect. The band are so insanely talented too, playing their asses off throughout. It was a similarish setlist to when we saw them before, at least in terms of their own stuff, but it hit that much harder on a massive open field, and the crowd ate it up too!
Twinnie packed out the Interstate stage, and for good reason! She was fucking awesome! One of the most born-performers I saw all weekend, she kept everyone in the palm of her hand from the start of her set to the very end. Being another leading light of the UK country scene it’s no surprise, and her pop-infused sound had everyone singing and dancing along throughout. I don’t think it’ll be too long before she’s up in The Shires’ spot on bills like this, and it couldn’t happen to a more deserving artist. Another firm highlight of the weekend!
A lot of people had been impatiently waiting for Josh Ross all day. So imagine my surprise when the track I most wanted to see from the guy was what opened the setlist. ‘Hate How You Look’ is a banger and was awesome live. So, sadly, the rest of the set felt a touch deflating for me. I’m certainly not opposed to some pop-country, but opening the show on one of your rockier numbers and then slowing the pace way down for a bit kinda ruined the hype for me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great performer and a fantastic vocalist. However, I’d kinda checked out by the middle of his set. It’s a bit of a shame too because I was looking forward to him, especially with the hype surrounding his set. He certainly wasn’t awful and if you enjoyed him, that’s great! But I found myself struggling to get into it at times.
Over on the Front Porch, Ken Pomeroy was treating us to a fantastic acoustic set. She has such an interesting voice and way of songwriting, that I certainly enjoyed standing and watching for a few tracks. If it was a typical year where the weather was better, I’d have loved to chill out on the grass and watch the full set. Still, I am a fan of her work and it translated well live, even if there were a couple of slightly awkward pauses between songs. Then, back at the Interstate Jason Scott & The High Heat blew the roof off the joint. Their blend of country, Southern rock and Americana is fantastic and pretty unique, and translates excellently to a live environment, especially a dark, packed-out tent! And, from tracks from the upcoming Play Boy album to more firm classics, the setlist was pretty damn excellent, too. The strutted around like they owned the stage, and the crowd very much were on board with it, hanging on every note! I had a blast from start to end, and very much need to see them again ASAP!
The replacement for Bailey Zimmerman, as well as being a living breathing Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood took to the stage to close out the Saturday. Honestly, I didn’t really have much expectation heading in, but I ended up having a blast! Ronnie is a larger than life character, and his energy and happiness is infectious. And, to his credit, he still sounds pretty good for his age. Not only that, but he makes his rather brilliant soloing look so effortless… I’m not jealous at all… However, his band killed it too, matching his energy and drive and ability. It felt a touch odd waiting so long to bring out Imelda May, but when they did HOT DAMN, she was incredible. Honestly one of the best voices of all time, and hearing it live was phenomenal.
And, in terms of the setlist, it was pretty damn fun. Covering the expanses of his decades long career with tracks from both the Stones and Faces to even a couple of his solo bits thrown in for good measure. But, he threw in plenty of covers too, some even being country to fit in with the theme of the festival. From Willie to Hank, Chuck Berry to Aretha Franklin to, of course, a couple of Dolly, there was plenty of massive and fitting music to love. Sadly, the rain picked up rather lots towards the back half, and the crowd thinned out substantially. It did take away a slight bit from the set, but it was still enjoyable, regardless. It was a real party vibe, and a great way to close out the day!
We returned to Stanford Hall for our fifth straight Long Road festival, and boy oh boy what a memorable year it was! The festivals curse reared its ugly head after a couple of years off, with Bailey Zimmerman having to pull out relatively last minute and being replaced by the Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood. On top of that, it was the first year out of those five where we didn’t have good weather, it being rainy for the most part and a couple of electrical storms actually stopping things at times. Despite that, it was a fantastic weekend still through and through! We saw plenty of incredible artists across all three days, and wanted to tell you just how much we loved them!
The first artist for us this weekend was Chanel Yates on the Interstate. I wasn’t too familiar with her outside of a song or two we checked out beforehand, but she honestly blew me away! Her particular brand of pop country is incredibly modern, drawing comparisons to the likes of Carter Faith and even Ella Langley at times, and translated fantastically well to a live environment. And, what’s more, she fully owned that stage! For a relatively new artist, she really had the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. And, what’s more, her band killed it too, backing her up perfectly. Her massive hit ‘Big Girl Boots’ was a clear highlight, but so was her upcoming single ‘Sugar Honey Ice Tea’, the crowd fully behind it even though it’s not dropping until later this month. She has a big new fan in me, and I already want to see her live again soon!
Next up we headed over to the Rhinstone stage for Irish folk pop-rocker Jordan O’Keefe. However, he’s another artists that I’ve come away being a big fan of! It all felt a little heavier live, maybe because of the full-band backing, but it served him very well here! And still, his catchy, massive melodies and choruses shined through, the crowd hanging on every note throughout. His big hit, ‘History’, was of course a firm set highlight, but every track was great in its own way. And, for still pretty early on, the crowd was pretty packed for him; it’s clear he has a bright future ahead of him!
We have been a fan of Gina Larner since first catching her at the same festival a couple of years back. To finally see her again was awesome, and she killed it once again! Back on maybe my favourite stage at the festival, Buddy’s Good Time Bar, it had more of an intimate setting, yet we still got plenty of rockiness and a huge sound. And, until the weather intervened, the set was awesome! She is a criminally underrated vocalist, and her songwriting skills are amazing, blending folk, country, indie and rock together seamlessly. ‘Cocktail Menu’ was a particular set highlight, finally getting to see that song live was awesome! Also, her cover of Chris Cagle’s ‘Let There Be Cowgirls’ is always excellent, and has caused the song to be stuck in my head for the last few days yet again. Sadly due to the storms, they had to cut her off a song to the end and send everyone back to our tents. It was certainly a shame, but it just means we need to go and see her again soon!
The sheer musicianship on display throughout Striking Matches’ set on the Interstate stage was insane. For just the two of them up there, they really packed out the sound, and put on an entertaining show from start to finish. The pair are masters of their craft, writing some amazing music and also jamming out some incredible instrumental parts in and around them. It’s clear that the band are seasoned veterans, as they play off of each other perfectly. My only hope now is that we get them coming back over here soon with a full band, as I’d love an even bigger show out of them, even if this was pretty huge enough as is!
The legendary Steve Earle showed up to the Rhinstone with nothing but his guitar, and blew away the packed out crowd before him. That was all he needed, as his soulful voice and incredible storytelling took the crowd on a journey. He has so many huge songs, with the legendary ‘Copperhead Road’ of course being the one a lot of the fans came to see, and Steve pulls it off amazing still all these years later. We also get an incredible yet-unreleased duet with Zandi Holup (more on her later). The fact that he can get such a captivating show and full sound when it is just him is a sheer testament to the man’s talent, and it was honestly an honour getting to see what he does best. I’m glad I finally got to see him live, and would still recommend him to anyone who is a fan of his work!
The second male-female duo of the day for us, Smithfield, were fantastic on the Front Porch stage. Right from the jump, the harmonies between the pair had me locked in, they were so good. And, much like Striking Matches, the pair clearly work the circuit back home a lot as they put on such a polished, professional set. The covers medley was especially smooth, weaving through their influences a verse-chorus at a time to the adoration of the crowd. However, their originals were also excellent. Whether it was stuff off their debut, sneak previews of tracks from their upcoming album, or standalone singles, we were treated to the very best of their catalogue to this point. They’re another act that I’d love to see with a full band, but I know they are doing a couple of stops on this run with one, so hopefully I can see that sooner rather than later! They’re another band with a hugely bright future ahead of them!
I had become a fan of The 502s when getting ready for this weekend, but I didn’t expect them to be this good. Y’all know by now how much I love some horns, so having an hours set with a saxophone on the main stage was amazing for me! The band are so upbeat and uplifting, a fantastic change of pace and honestly it felt more akin to some of the ska bands I’ve seen recently. They were just so much fun, and had the majority of the crowd dancing along throughout. From heavy hitters like ‘Your Nonsense Makes No Sense’ and ‘Just a Little While’ to lesser known numbers like ‘Friday Night’ to even the so-far unreleased ‘Gang’s Back Together Again’, the setlist was packed full of awesomeness. It helped that they had a pretty hefty amount of time too, but I loved every minute of it. And, of course, the band played their asses off throughout, and looked like they had a genuinely great time doing so. This was easily one of my highlights of the weekend, and a band I’d recommend to anyone!
Before we knew it we were at the headliners, the might Shires. Returning to the festival for the first time since its inaugural year in 2018, it was one hell of a triumphant comeback. And what followed was an absolute masterclass in live music from the very top of the UK country scene. Whether it’s the best of their brand new albumin ‘Bonfire Song’ or ‘Getaway Car’, or career spanning hits like opener ‘Lightning Strikes’, ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ or the massive ‘I Just Wanna Love You’, the setlist was amazing. We also got the perfect Dolly cover from them in ‘Islands in the Stream’. The pair have maybe the best harmonies in the game right now, working excellently not just on that track, but throughout. They are born performers too, even with the slight technical issues in the middle they handled it professionally, and the crowd ate up every minute they were on stage. And the band behind them killed it throughout too, playing excellently and providing the perfect backdrop of the duo. It is clear to see why they are such a massive name in the UK country scene, and they are born to out on sets of this magnitude and grandeur. What a way to close out day one!
The American Country-Western singer-songwriter returns with his highly anticipated fourth album this coming Friday. Anyone who’s a regular here at our site knows how huge a fan of the guy we are, and have been already impatiently waiting for this since before it was even announced! I still regularly spin Eagle Feather now, and it was one of my favourite albums of 2025. So, when this came across our emails, we were very excited to be checking it out! Strap yourselves in, ladies and gents, this is a long one!
The title track sets the tone of the album excellently. Some great fiddle playing gives way to Ian’s iconic vocals, the neo-traditional Western vibes ringing awesomely right from the offset. The lyrics are fun too, with Ian proclaiming himself as the titular goat, fitting it perfectly with his character and sound. And, while the chorus stays a little understated, the whole track builds and builds throughout. It’s honestly the perfect way to kick off this mammoth release, however, building the anticipation and the expected sounds and layers in more with each part. And, as a song in its own right, it’s amazing! As you can tell, I already love this release!
Next up is the huge, awesome single, ‘Geronimo’. It was an excellent choice for a single as it certainly has more of a pop edge to it, but still has plenty of his signature Western/Americana sound too! The note he hits for the chorus is insanely impressive and sounds effortless, while the rest of the chorus is naturally catchy as anything! The bridge, while simple, breaks things up excellently with some great fiddle work and vocals, too. And, not only that, but we get the same for the outro, and it slowly dropping out was amazing! It was a great choice to put it this early on in the album too, hooking people in with maybe the biggest track on the release so far. Another excellent song, and one that I’ve loved since it dropped. It was an easy choice for the playlist!
The pace slows down for the first ballad-like track of the release, ‘My Montana’. It’s a perfectly timed change of vibe, and still sounds exactly as you’d expect from an Ian Munsick track. It’s still a catchy-as-anything chorus, one that will be stuck in my head for days to come. I also love the harmonies, be it the subtle ones through the chorus or the more clear ones on the second verse. The bridge is another fun one with some excellent instrumentation, alongside a great few vocal lines from Ian. The track as a whole is great, a bittersweet yet upbeat song that is surely going to be a big fan favourite when the album drops!
After a brief piano interlude, ‘Made Me a Man’ comes in and dials up the folky vibes to a 10. It’s a steady, stripped-back track built around Ian’s vocals and guitar, but the other instrumentation compliments it perfectly! The chorus is on a similar level to the rest of the track but still catchy and feels a lot bigger than it is. The structure is simple but so very effective, and it all adds so much emotion to the lyrics. It’s a truly beautiful song, another big high point of the release!
Some awesome Spanish guitar opens ‘Blue Roan’, reminding me instantly of ‘God Bless the West’, one of my favourite tracks off his last album. It’s a perfectly sets a great tone for the song, and is a complete change of pace again from what we’ve had on the album so far. I love it staying stripped back, the great guitaring and electric drum beat providing the perfect backdrop for the vocals at first. The chorus is once again on the same level as the rest, which I did find a little odd as I hoped that it would hit bigger. However, much like with the opener, the track feels like it builds steadily for its first couple of minutes, and certainly earns that huge explosion of guitars and acoustic drums. It shifts the whole dynamic of the track for a moment, and the ups and downs throughout from it are truly amazing. The solo and bridge parts honestly have a Stairway level of epicness to them, only adding even more awesomeness to things! Honestly, I can’t get enough of this song. It’s Southern/Americana rock at its very best, and may be not just an album, but a career highlight track for Mr Munsick. I cannot recommend this song enough!
Next up are a couple more singles. We are very familiar with‘Love is Blind’ these days, being obsessed with it since it dropped and have thrown it plenty of praise over the months! It was an excellent early single, and hasn’t left my rotation since it dropped. Then you have ‘Medicine Man’, a slightly slower, simpler track than the former, but is no less great and catchy! The chorus is awesome, designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world, and the instrumentation is another grandiose, amazing arrangement. Both are phenomenal songs in their own right, and fit the tone of the album excellently!
Another single, ‘Cutthroat World’, picks up the pace into a more lighthearted, rockier territory. It feels like a modern radio country-rock song, but very much still done in Ian’s signature style. The chorus is very Southern and Western, fitting his usual sound despite the verses giving off more of a FGL vibe. Somehow, the two parts and styles fit excellently together, like this is a completely normal thing that Ian is doing, and not something crazy and breaking new ground in the best way. It’s Munsick’s take on a stadium country song, and is completely excellent. Even the riffing is a lot of fun! What would you know, another huge highlight!
Another short interlude, and another big single in ‘Palomino Eyes’. The Spanish vibes return with that opening guitaring, and once again Ian’s vocals fit perfectly over the top. It’s another relatively stripped-back song, reminding me a little of ‘Blue Roan’ in that it builds a lot through its first third or so. However, it is still beautiful throughout, and just makes the song even more awesome when it gets into its higher gears. The harmonies and some of Ian’s higher notes are incredible, and the guitars and strings fill out underneath it perfectly. It was a good choice for a single again, that’s for sure, but with an album of this hugely high quality, it may be one that gets left to the wayside a little.
‘Earn Your Spurs’ is the most Western track on the album, and is a lot of fun! It’s pretty up-beat for the album and has a poppier vibe to it, but is a fantastic song in its own right! Honestly, to the point where I’m shocked this wasn’t a pre-release single, too! Everything from the instruments to the hugely catchy chorus to the little extra touches on the production and writing side of things, it’s all SOGOOD. It’s yet another song that I think I’m a little obsessed with coming out of this, and is another massive highlight for me!
Another fun interlude (though I have to say none are quite as great as those from Eagle Feather), single ‘World War III’ is another stripped-back, grandiose Western-Americana track. Again, I can’t help but marvel at the incredible production and little touches throughout, all making the song sound so massive, and makes me incredibly curious to hear if it is pulled off live. The chorus is still pretty damn catchy, and once again Ian’s vocal range and power is a high point of it. It feels redundant at this point to say the song is good, but it truly is. It’s crazy that Ian is still firing on all cylinders this late into a longer album, honestly!
And finally, we have reached the closer, ‘Winter in Wyoming’. Part of me was shocked that he went with another more up-beat, rockier Western number over an epic ballad, but it’s still a good song, and ties a bow around the album perfectly. It’s a fun, catchy song that has elements of everything that preceded it, as well as being a single-worthy chorus just like the rest! Despite it being an ‘album track’ and the closer at that, it is still worth listening to, and I’d recommend it to anyone! An amazing song to close out an amazing album!
Overall: Once again, Ian Munsick puts out an absolutely amazing album! I was already won over by the singles, but every single album track also knocks it straight out of the park. There’s no one that sounds or makes music quite like Ian, and his winning formula once again paid off here. My only slight note is that the album doesn’t quite feel like it flows as well as Eagle Feather, though that might have been because I enjoyed its interludes more, as I said already. But the album as a whole, is still absolutely phenomenal. It’s an absolute must for any country fan, and don’t be surprised to see it once again high on our albums of the year list come December!
Neo-traditional country young megastar Wyatt Flores is set to release his band new second album tomorrow. If you weren’t aware, we’re HUGE fans of the guy already, so when this came across our emails, there was no way we weren’t diving head first into a full review. From his incredible voice to his amazing lyrics to the instrumentation, he is one of the best country/Americana artists around today, and at just 24 he has one hell of a career in front of him already. So, let’s see what his sophomore album has to offer!
The album starts on a huge high with ‘Hate Myself’. It is Wyatt through and through, and I’m shocked it wasn’t a pre-release single, honestly! A low, acoustic-based verse builds perfectly into a massive, arena-filling chorus. It’s catchy as anything, but the emotional vulnerable lyrics are honestly the biggest highlight for me. This sort of style and scene is so good at lyrics currently, with Evan Honer being another great example, but Wyatt is up there at the very forefront for me of lyricists. And not to mention his vocals are absolutely incredible, especially for his young age. The structure of the track itself is a little simple, but works perfectly as an opening song, and highlights everything excellent about the musician!
‘Sober for a Month’ slows things down a touch, but keeps the same emotion-filled vibe. It’s stripped back, focusing mainly on Wyatts guitar and vocals, but it if anything adds even more impact to every vocal line. And the other instrumentation, from the driving bass drum to the subtle fiddle to the other strings, really adds so much depth behind the man. Again, it’s wonderfully written; Wyatt being an excellent storyteller here and showing off his vulnerability excellently. It’s a simple track that may have been a little risky putting so early in the album, but Flores pulled it off with ease. Another huge early highlight!
The first of the singles, ‘Drive all Night’, has a bit of a bluesy, swaggering energy to it, and was definitely a good call as a pre-release! It honestly reminds me a bit of Jon Pardi, that sort of neo-traditional country, and is another truly excellent chorus. The instrumentation was a big plus with this track too, the fiddle coming in behind the second and third choruses being awesome. It adds even more depth and catchiness to a song already full of both. It’s another short, sweet and simple arrangement, in-and-out in less than three minutes, but for what it is it’s perfect. Heck, I couldn’t think of much to add other than some big solo in the middle or the outro. And that little break in the instrumentation in the final chorus… DAMN. Three for three on excellent songs, and one that easily makes our playlist!
‘Not Good Enough’ picks up the Southern rock vibes from the jump, an awesome riff kicking things off. It was an excellent change of pace yet again, the album constantly keeping my attention so far. It feels like a very 90s/early 2000s country track; Darius Rucker in all the best ways. And man if it isn’t maybe one of my favourite choruses he’s ever written. I instantly wanted to see this live the moment I heard it, I hope he’s back in the UK again soon! It’s yet another side of his style that he is so damn good at, and is another track that just begs to be a single. We even get a tasty little guitar solo tucked away in the middle. How he’s managed to compact such a fantastic amount of music into just 140 seconds is beyond me. Banger after banger so far!
The title track is expectedly slower, leaning again back into his old-school country and Americana side. It’s a ballad through and through, once again mainly comprising of Wyatt’s guitaring and vocals. The lyrics are once again amazing and deep, and I love the harmonies in the chorus. As someone who can relate to his insecurities and self-doubt, this track hit home in a huge way. Heck, I had goosebumps by the end! My only slight complaint was the fade-out ending, but that is more personal preference than anything. Anyone who hasn’t already checked this song out, do so ASAP!
Tracks like ‘How to Let me Go’, ‘South Dakota’ and ‘The Way I Do’ are more songs like the opener. They’re exactly what I’d expect from a Wyatt album, and both written and performed masterfully by Flores and his band. ‘South Dakota’ in particular is another personal favourite of mine, having a bit of a chilled vibe, almost having a tinge of Buffett-beachness. Having said that, the greater focus on the latter was also great! And, what’s more, none feel like album tracks, all being excellent and memorable in their own ways. In case you haven’t realised by now, this album really is firing on all cylinders from start to finish!
The other two singles, ‘Half the Man’ and ‘Running on E’, are more on the slower side, but both have some of the best lyrics Flores has ever put to track. The former brought a tear to my eye, not only highlighting his insecurities again but the struggles of being a touring musician. Meanwhile the latter is more of a jaded, bittersweet love song. They approach similar sentiments in wildly different ways, but both do so incredibly successfully, as well as being awesome in their own right. Both, yet again, were very good choices for singles too, having a radio vibe to them and really highlighting the very best aspects of the album as a whole. I’ve listened to them both a lot since they dropped, and somehow haven’t gotten sick of either yet!
‘Sleepless Lullaby’, ‘God Forgives’ and the closing track are all slower, ballad-tracks. Much like with the singles though, they approach the style in their own unique way. The former is a dark, Southern rocker. ‘God Forgives’ is a bit more of a modern radio-country track. Meanwhile ‘Tulsa and Eleanor’ is a stripped-back, simple acoustic track. All play their parts perfectly, and are broken up enough by the other tracks around them that each has plenty of impact and isn’t at all boring. The former is another massive album highlight for me, and while the other two aren’t quite as memorable tracks as the rest of the album, they are still damn good songs in their own right. And, honestly, this is one of the few times where I fully love it closing on a slower song; it fit the tone and vibe excellently. Damn, I’m a little obsessed!
Overall: Goddamn, this is one hell of an album! From front to back, it is excellent; all killer, no filler. Being a fan of all of his previous work, this is at least up there, if not his best work to date. If you are at all a fan of Wyatt or country music in general, this album is an absolute must-listen. I’m going to be spinning this a lot in the weeks and months to come, and don’t be surprised to see it very high on our top albums list come December! To no surprise, it gets another huge score from me!
We chatted to the wonderful Alex Hughes the other day about her new EP, the country music scene and her future plans. Check it all out below!
The EP’s been out a couple of weeks now, right? It seems to have gone down really well!
Yeah, it’s been a pretty great response! So, I feel really grateful that people are are digging the music!
What’s it like to finally have it out after a run of singles the last few years?
It’s been kind of surreal. Doing the single thing for years has been fun, but it just hasn’t felt like a collection of music. So, these songs all together, I’ve been working on them for three to five years, some of them. So it’s so nice to finally have see them through completely from the writing to the recording. And to I got to pick up my very first vinyl! So, just be able to even hold it in your hands is something that’s been on the bucket list for a while for me.
Was it always the same tracks on the EP? Or have some hopped on in that time or been released as a single instead?
Yeah, that’s a great question! It kind of all came together organically, and I did do a writing trip specifically for songs for the EP. But how it did end up changing was, we added one last song, not last minute, but, like, after the others were recorded. That was ‘Slow Dancing in the Kitchen’, and it’s ’cause I I couldn’t release the EP without having it on there!
What’s the plan moving forward? The EP’s only just dropped but is there another release already in the pipeline?
Absolutely, yeah. We’ve we’ve actually got a Summer Surprise that’s going to drop in July. so that’s exciting. And then, yeah, I’ve been writing a ton. So, I’m definitely looking forward to the next project. I think we’re going to definitely do another EP, we’re just kind of collecting those songs now. We’ll get in the studio hopefully soon, kind of after the summer rush, and, yeah, get back in it!
It seems like it’s so difficult these days to plan what you want to put out and how you want to release it, with the streaming algorithms and all this now. It’s such a nightmare to try and keep up with it all!
It is, and it’s just interesting ’cause music’s being consumed so quickly, and there’s so much good music out there. And it’s expensive to produce and release music, so it’s kind of balancing all those things like budgets and keeping up with the demand. But creating something that feels complete, it’s like, it’s a balance.
What’s the writing process like for you?
I know, at least with country, there’s a lot more focus on writing with other people or getting songs from other people. It’s quite fascinating to see from more of a rock background that everyone is kind of writing for each other and chipping in. It’s pretty cool!
Right, yeah. No, you’re so right. It’s so interesting how different genres sort of have their creative process, and then I know it’s different artist to artist, too.
Yeah, but for me, I spend a lot of time just with my guitar coming up with ideas, and brainstorming like titles, hooks. My voice notes on my phone is just absolutely filled with a million (probably terrible) ideas, but they’re there! And then I co-write a lot. So, what I usually do is collect those ideas, and then before I do, let’s say, a writing trip, or even just buckle down and do like a week’s worth of writing, I’ll go through all those ideas, figure out which ones are bad, which ones are good, and which ones I want to kind of maybe present because you can kind of tell, at least, sort of in the country world when you look into the background of somebody, what someone’s strengths might be. So, then I’m like, oh, I have this idea that I think this writer would really be able to help me create!
Do you have a favourite track on the EP?
Ooh, that’s a great question! Um, yeah. I mean, they’re all, as you know, they’re your song babies, so they feel like they’re all precious. Not to choose a favorite child! But, I guess I think maybe the title track, “Taking Me Home,” is my favorite because it it sort of encompasses all of the things that I wanted the EP to have; some fun, sonic sounds that are a little bit more pop and country and just sort of show the influences that I’ve had throughout my life. And, and then lyrically, it’s a love song, and even though it sounds like it might be surface level, when you really listen, there’s some deep, deep lyric things there. So, I think maybe, if I have to choose my favorite, I’d say this one.
While it’s marketed as your debut EP, you actually released another back in 2013. Are there any comparisons you can make between that one and this new release?
yeah, that EP was the first time I ever recorded all my own songs, and they’re all my originals that I wrote. I wrote every single one all by myself. So, it’s a really special EP, and I think you can very easily hear the growth and the change, and not only in sort of how my music has progressed. Like, I feel like this, my new EP is the type of music that I’ve always wanted to create. I’ve kind of finally landed on the sound that feels artistically like me.
I love that EP and I think it’s a really cool stamp in time. I was like quite young when I did it too, so even lyrically, it’s sort of like, you can hear the youth, like the young voice.
It sounds like you have a busy rest of the year planned in terms of shows, right?
Yeah, yeah. It’s going to be a pretty great summer with lots of festivals here in Canada! And then yeah, we’re looking at maybe doing a bit of a tour in the fall. So yeah, it’s great. This EP really sort of opens some doors for me to be able to get on the road and share these songs with people. We’re at that stage, which is great!
What’s it like being a Canadian country artist? In the UK it’s still a sound so deeply associated with the south of the US!
Yeah, you know, I think it’s a really exciting time to be a Canadian artist. I think our music scene’s starting to finally boom. And and it has been for years, but there’s lots of cool opportunities here. I spent some time living down in Los Angeles and then I did a little bit of back and forth to Nashville, but one thing that’s been kind of amazing about settling in Canada is the opportunities. For example, when I first moved back, I got to do a program called the Canada’s Music Incubator Artist Entrepreneur Program. It’s like this two-week long intensive where you learn all about the music industry, and you just gain all these amazing tools. I’m not sure if they do programs like that over there too, but there are just some really cool ways to get support and help. It’s a cool time, and yeah, there’s just there’s lots of cool things going on, too. Lots of cool venues, the Canadian Country Music Awards are always a really fun week, and lots of opportunities there. So, yeah, it’s exciting!
You seem rather active and sucessful on social media. Do you have any advice for artists just starting out, on that front?
This is something that I’ve truly struggled with, is like, how do you not be annoying? But it’s such a great tool, and I think you just have to get over that. Like, people who want to support you, they’ll like what you’re doing and they’ll think it’s interesting, and those who don’t, they’ll unfollow you, and that’s fine. I think it’s a really great tool, and there’s a bit of a balance between posting so much that you burn out. I’ve definitely gone through those phases where I feel like I don’t have any more ideas and I just can’t do it anymore. But when you find a balance that kind of works, it can be such a good tool. So, I guess my advice is like, don’t be afraid to post, you’re not annoying anybody, and be creative with it, and have some fun, like, it’s a free tool!
Any plans/hopes to come to the UK in the future?
Oh Yeah! Yeah, there’s no plans currently, but I really hope to make it out there soon! I’ve had some interesting people even from the UK reach out that that like the music. So, I would like to get out there and play some shows!
A slightly quieter week this time, but we still have some great releases to be checking out! Let’s dive in!
The War and Treaty: The Story of Michael and Tanya
The second album in two years from the Southern soul duo and honestly, it may take a little growing for me. Tracks like ‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’, ‘Holy Ghost Fire’ and the closer are high points, but the album as a whole is a touch slow. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not known for high pace generally, but they at least have some smattered throughout their projects. This is just all ballads aside for closer ‘High Heels’. Said track is up there among their best, honestly, but it certainly took some getting to. While I did very much like Plus One, it was a slight step below Lover’s Game for me in hindsight, and this release once again takes another sad step down. I did enjoy the concept of the release, the pair highlighting the ups and downs of their marriage from each perspective. However, it felt like they didn’t lean into each other as much, more having each track be a solo one with the other as backup. The emotion is still there, but it can make for a damn depressing listen at times. When they do sing together though, it still very much works to perfection. They still have two of the best voices in music currently. They just felt less of a team sharing each song than usual.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly their target audience, and I’m sure plenty of their fans will love this. It’s still not a bad album by any stretch. However, it’s nothing we haven’t had from them before, except it leans hard on the stuff that I like a little more in moderation from the duo. As I said, hopefully it grows on me, as I’ll certainly be giving it more listens. For now, I can’t give it much more than 7.5/10.
Hard-Fi: Sweating Someone Else’s Fever
Having known the name for a while, I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard a track by the UK indie rockers outside of their big hit. However, the first album in a decade and a half and since their 2022 reunion, there was no way I wasn’t checking it out to see what all he hype was for.
It’s at very least interesting. The opener is terrible, but I did enjoy the Latin-infused single ‘Digo Nada’. Tracks like ‘Looking for Fun’ and ‘Now and Then’ are also pretty good! However, overall it isn’t really the sort of thing I’m into much. None of it is bad at all, and does have a bit of a nostalgic twinge for me from when this sort of style was big in the bands heyday. If you are big into this sort of music, you’ll almost certainly have a lot of love for this. The band are clearly talented! Krysten Cummings also does great on her two guest tracks, adding a lot to the sound. However, the whole album is a bit boring and samey, dragging across its 40 minutes. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, and feels kinda dated; a little expected given their time off. As I say, if you’re a fan of the band or 2000s/2010s indie music, this is worth a listen. Outside of that though, I don’t think it’s win many new fans over. If it was on I wouldn’t turn it off, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to this again. 5/10
When Rivers Meet: Rhythm Rust & Static
Coming just one year after the awesome Addicted to You, the husband-and-wife blues duo are back with album number five. I feels like the pair have gone a bit heavier with this release too, which was awesome to hear! I was hooked right from the opener, and not let go for the full 41 minutes. ‘Caught in the Middle’, ‘I’m Ready for You’ and ‘My Time Is Done’ are big personal highlights, but honestly the whole album is fantastic and has a great flow to it. Heck, as a soon-to-be-parent, hearing the pair of new parents write and perform a track like ‘Bring Life’ was truly beautiful. They are such a phenomenal combined talent, and I honestly feel like they have the ingredient that I was missing from War and Treaty above; they play off each other and compliment each other perfectly throughout. The pair and their backing band are all insanely talented, and I think they’ve maybe crafted their most cohesively high-quality release yet! Another incredibly solid 9/10 from us!
Endseeker: Coffin Born
The farewell EP from the German death metallers is a fittingly brutal. It’s 22 minutes of fast paced, heavy music, and each track is as good as the last! ‘Enemies of Peace’ is an amazing opener packed with some truly great lyrics. ‘Coffin Born’ goes hard too, and the Lord of the Lost-featuring ‘True Survivor’ not only closes things out perfectly, but adds some great dynamics to the release with some clean vocals. As I said though, the whole thing is great from beginning to end. It’s a shame to see the band go, but what a note to end it on! If to are into the heavier end of stuff at all, this is definitely worth a spin! I can’t give it any less than 8/10
Warning: Rituals of Shame
The first album from the British doom band in a whopping two decades finally dropped this last Friday, to much hype from its cult following. It’s 45-minutes of darkness and despair, the band picking things up like they never left it off in the first place. It’s only five tracks long, but each is proggy, doom-filled epicness, and it all flows surprisingly well together. Don’t get me wrong, on the whole it’s maybe a little slow for me personally, but I still very much appreciate the talent and writing that went into creating this! Having said that, I really enjoyed ‘Stations’, and closer ‘Teacher’ is awesome too. It all just feels a bit similar to me, and the slower doom stuff doesn’t hit as hard when that’s all it is, if that makes sense? For fans of the band, I imagine this is like Christmas, and it is certainly a worthy successor to Watching from a Distance. And while it is damn good doom metal, I can’t give it any more than 7/10
Pond: Terrestrials
Following up 2024’s Stung!, the Australian psychedelic five-piece show off their incredible talent once again here! While not typically my sort of thing on paper, I had a blast listening to it in full! Nestled comfortably between Yes, Deep Purple and ELO, their sound is awesome, and each member plays their asses off throughout, all getting their own time to shine. Personal highlights include ‘Casuarina’, ‘Roebuck Plains’ and ‘Personal Hell’, but the whole album is pretty damn good! If you like the softer, proggier side of rock music, this is absolutely an album for you. It’s not something I’ll be spinning too often, but will most likely be checking it out again in the relatively near future. It’s a solid 7.5/10, and is another that may grow on me even more through the rest of the year!
Inherits the Void: The Silent Abscission
This atmospheric black metal album is honestly awesome! Y’all know by now that I have an up-and-down relationship with black metal, but this was interesting and entertaining as hell throughout. Having elements of almost tech death added to the rest was awesome, the sheer playing and writing ability on display being off the charts. From the opener to ‘In the Shadow of the Falling Star’ to ‘A World Unmade’, the album is packed full of great songs! It’s another release that flows fantastically too, not at all feeling nearly 50 minutes in length. It’s not a release for everyone, but I really enjoyed it, and will certainly be spinning it again plenty moving forward. Even if you aren’t typically into black metal, give this a try, it will almost certainly win you over like it did me! 8.5/10, great stuff!
Kashus Culpepper: Act I: Summer Nights
The new EP from the rising country star is a short but very sweet affair. Three new songs, backed up by a fantastic cover and an interlude, and it makes for incredibly easy listening! It’s 13 minutes of chilled-out, beautiful pop-country/Southern soul, and I can’t get enough! ‘Let me Show You Love’ is fantastic, as is ‘Til the Sun Goes Down’. However, there is no beating that fantastic Glen Campbell cover, it opens things up perfectly. I remember checking out his debut album back at the start of the year and not minding it, but honestly this was a step up in quality for me! I feel like the brief nature of this release (Act I is long) helped it a lot, it being all-killer, no-filler. I’ll definitely be listening to this again, probably a fair bit over the summer, and would urge anyone reading this to check this out! Another incredibly easy 8.5/10 from us!
Swim Deep: Hum
Album five from the indie collective is another chilled-out release for us this week. I can’t say I’d really heard of them before checking out this album, and while it’s not usually my sort of style, I definitely had fun with it! It’s simple and relaxed and gives off a real early-mid 2000s vibe that I can’t help but be a little nostalgic for. And, from ‘You, Me and Mary’ to ‘Such a Fool’ to ‘In Dreams Alive’, there is a lot to love. It’s maybe a little too similar for me in terms of pace and sound for an album as a whole, but I’ll definitely be coming back to the aforementioned tracks pretty regularly! For any indie fans reading this, this is certainly an album for you. I’m at least curious to go back and check out the rest of their back catalogue to see if it’s all this good. And, while I do so, this gets a solid 7/10
Shadowborne: Heaven’s Falling
Time for a debut album, us having surprisingly few this week. The power metal newcomers kill it with this release! From the excellent opener ‘High and Low’ to ‘Hold the Door’ to ‘The Wall’, there is so much to love throughout, though the whole album is pretty excellent! If you are even a passing fan of power or heavy metal, give this a spin ASAP! From the soaring vocals to the solid drumming to the excellent riffs and synth, it’s all so damn good. And the choruses, they are easily a high point of the release as a whole, they are all so infectiously catchy. The band are going to go very far in the scene if this release is anything to go by. I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here, but for now I’ll certainly be listening to this a lot moving forward. I can’t give it any less than 8/10!
Mork: Monolitt
The ninth album from Thomas Eriksen’s black metal project is another brutal addition to their growing discography. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the 2nd wave of the genre, though with some real top-notch production that honestly helps it a lot. There are some awesome riffs throughout, and some truly heavy drums and screams. It’s a little more straight forward than Inherits the Void above, so did struggle to hold my attention a little more. However, there was enough more death metal-like parts that I still found myself enjoying it! Single ‘Ødelagt’ is a big high point of the release, as is ‘Martyr’. And the rest all sounds fairly similar, so if you generally like your metal black, you’re bound to love this! Another solid 7/10
Tucker Zimmerman: Dream Me a Dream
The criminally underrated folk singer-songwriter put out his fifth album this decade so far this last Friday. It’s a stripped-back, relaxed affair and a 37 minutes I found myself enjoying far more than I expected to! The lyrics were amazing, and sometimes the swell of the strings and other instrumentation around Tucker bring out so much emotion. ‘Don’t Feel Like Doing Nothing Today’ is probably my favourite, but I also really like the Lou Reed-like ‘Rooftops of San Francisco’. He’s an old-school storyteller through and through, and it’s cool to still be getting this sort of music being released. It’s probably not something I’d revisit a huge amount, but I can appreciate the hell out of the musicianship that went into it, and certainly liked it. It was cool to just throw on and get lost in the lyricism and feel of it all. And, for that, it gets an easy 7.5/10
The incredible country-rock legend Kip Moore is set to put out his seventh studio album this coming Friday. It is no secret that we are big fans of his here at Overtone, loving Solitary Tracks and even getting to see him live last year! So, to say we’ve been hyped since this album was announced may be an understatement! And, what’s better, it’s a touch shorter than his last too, making it a lil easier to write about… So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
Opener ‘Levee’ is a track we are already very familiar with. It’s an awesome song, and the fact that it’s the first track is honestly a great idea. It’s high energy; a real country/old-school rock track, and has been in my regular rotation since to dropped back in March. I can’t gush over it much more than I already have, but having such an up-beat, amazing song open the album sets the tone for the rest of it perfectly!
‘Get What You Give’ keeps the rockin’ vibes going, having an almost 70s, Quo riff running through it! Kip’s vocals fit perfectly over the top of it, and the way the instrumentation builds up through the verse is amazing. It explodes into a massive chorus, one designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world! It fits perfectly in with his particular brand of country-mixed-rock, and is an easy addition towards the top of his massive catalogue of hits. It’s bound to go down a storm live, too! We even get an awesome couple of duelling guitar solos in this, not cutting them off and giving them plenty of time to breath, packed full of feeling. It’s the perfect Kip Moore track, and another big early highlight!
New single ‘The Darkness’ slows things down perfectly. A steady bass drum beat and a fantastic acoustic guitar riff opens things up, Kip’s powerful, gritty vocals soon slotting in perfectly over the top. It all builds to a fantastic, emotion-filled chorus, one that feels ripped straight from Solitary Tracks or SLOWHEART in the best ways! And it’s catchy as anything too, it’s definitely going to be stuck in my head for days to come. It probably helps that it’s painfully relatable at the same time, too. It’s a simply built track, but a fantastic choice for a single and the perfect way to break up the pace of the album after a couple of faster numbers. Three for three so far on incredible songs!
‘Heartbreaker’ picks the tempo back up, heading firmly into southern rock territory. The slide guitar was a nice touch, and the dynamics of it dropping down for the verses only to explode into the massive chorus again serves the track well. Said chorus is another huge earworm, and one that is bound to go down a storm live! It’s another track that gets a great extended guitar solo, the instrumentation being a massive and welcome focus of the album. The whole track is classic Kip Moore, and is another track that easily makes it onto our playlist. Amazing stuff!
Tracks like ‘Headlights’, ‘You & Me’ and the title track are more slower, soft-rock epics. All are incredible and again feel so very Kip Moore, fitting in perfectly with the rest of his back catalogue. The former builds perfectly into the choruses, a real country rock anthem. Meanwhile ‘You & Me’, while a little higher tempo, still has a ballad feel to it, and has once again one of my favourite choruses on the album! Then you have the slow, grandiose title track, the steadiest we’ve covered so far, but Kip does it such a way that it doesn’t get boring or long-winded having a few slower songs in a row. Heck, we also have the final single, ‘Faith in the Wind’, nestled in the middle…
Said track is feels like the big, emotional heart of the album. It’s a stripped-back, acoustic-driven song, and is honestly so beautiful! That chorus alone is amazing, especially with the double-layered vocals. I love the choruses getting bigger each time too, the production of the track doing a fantastic job. It’s once again so very Kip in all the best ways, feeling like a culmination of his previous slower sounds into this one, epic moment. What a shock, another highlight, on an album packed full of them!
‘Lonely Tonight’ reminds me of Billy Joel, opening on the piano and vocals and building in more and more as it goes. Much like other tracks on the album, it all leads perfectly to the massive, arena-filling chorus. It’s a rather understated chorus compared to others on the release, but is no less catchy and memorable. While it does feel ever so slightly ‘album track’, on an album this good that is hardly a complaint!
‘Long Time Coming’ is another slower track, a fully-country acoustic ballad. It’s the simplest arrangement, mainly just the one guitar and vocals, a few other strings and swells coming in sporadically throughout. There are some subtle harmony vocals at times too, and I’d be curious to know if it’s the same woman who is on ‘Levee’. It’s also somehow another song that breaks up the album a little, as although the last few have been slower, this is a lot less grandiose and layered, and feels like something completely different again. And, once again, the lyrics are utterly phenomenal. A truly beautiful, excellent song!
A similar vibe runs though ‘Wild Things Like You’, while the pace picks back up into a rock banger for ‘Sober’. It did feel a little “about time” after a few slower songs in a row, but honestly it barely felt like it dragged even a little! It still very much has a country edge to it too, almost an early 2000s radio hit vibe to it, while still fitting perfectly with the rest of the tracks. And it’s still a massive, stadium-rock chorus, and another that will go over a treat live. I almost feel sick of saying it, but it’s yet another incredible song, and big highlight!
The closing track, ‘Josephine’, feels like an amalgamation of everything before it! While acoustic-based, it still has a bit of a big band feel to it, and a slightly higher tempo too. The closest comparison I can make is something like Darius Rucker, which is never a bad thing! It feels like a beautiful way to draw everything from the album together and close it out, while also being a great song in its own right. A fantastic end to a fantastic album!
Overall: Hot damn, Kip knocked it out of the park again with this album! As much as I loved Solitary Tracks, which is a lot, I may love this even more! Almost every track on it is absolutely incredible, and there really isn’t a bad song throughout. I’d honestly put it up there alongside his very best, as far as albums are concerned. Kip is somehow still at the top of his game, some 14+ years into releasing music, and this album very much shows that. He is one of my favourite artists for a reason, and I cannot recommend this release enough to absolutely anyone!
