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The Mountain Goat: Ian Munsick Knocks it Out of the Park Once Again!

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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 SO GOOD. 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!

The Score: 9/10

Reviews

Heavy on the Soul: How Does Ty Myers’ New Album Compare to The Select?

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The second album from the southern soul/country blues rising megastar drops this coming Friday to quite a bit of hype! The guy exploded onto the scene just last year with his critically acclaimed debut, especially when he was just 17 years old(!), so it feels like everyone has been waiting to see if he can follow it up with an equally good release. We got the chance to give it a bit of an early listen so desperately wanted to really sink our teeth in and see what the teenager has put together in barely a year. Let’s dive right in!

The album starts in a perfectly chilled way, with a low guitar melody backed by a simple beat. Ty’s vocals fit perfectly over the top, giving a country twang to the easy-listening pop instrumentation. And, while the track stays more stripped-back and slower, it builds in a few more instruments and definitely has a bigger-feeling chorus. Weirdly, I find myself drawing similarities to the likes of Cardinal Black and even The War & Treaty, that edge of soul and jazz and blues in there alongside the rest of the country, folk and pop. It’s a simple track but a beautiful one, and really sets the tone of the album perfectly!

‘Pedestal’ continues the same vibe perfectly, like a country-infused Newton Faulkner. It follows a similar formula to ‘Morning Comes’, but starting on just guitar and vocals makes it feel even bigger when the drums and the rest of the instrumentation comes in from the first chorus. I loved the little lead guitar licks too, being very bluesy, Ty showing off his incredible skills there, too. And at times his vocals and melodies even remind me more of that 90s alt rock sound, reminding me a little of Hootie & The Blowfish, Staggered Crossing and even Pearl Jam. While a little more relaxed than all those names, I really loved this track, and it easily makes it onto our playlist!

The pace and energy picks up for the bluesy ‘Don’t You Know’, showing off Ty’s range fantastically. Suddenly it’s more like Lenny Kravitz, and I’m fully down! From the great riff that runs through it to his more attitude-filled vocal delivery, the catchy hooks, the harmonies and those amazing horns, it’s all SO GOOD. And while I’d have loved the energy dialled up even 5% more, it’s still a fantastic track, and breaks up the album perfectly early on. It’s a song I am already desperate to see live, so hopefully he’s over I’m the UK soon! It’s maybe my favourite track on the album, and the second in a row that is a huge personal highlight!

‘Message to You’ slows things back down again. It’s certainly not an issue, as it’s a beautiful track in its own right and follows on from one of the more high-energy songs. The lyrics and vocals are bittersweet and packed full of emotion, fitting the tone of the track perfectly. Between it and ‘Woman’, they are the ballad tracks of the album. Both are excellent, slower, acoustic-based songs, and are put at pretty perfect places throughout the album; both feeling like earned emotional moments and helping the flow of the release. More amazing stuff!

The bouncy, bluesy energy returns perfectly with ‘Run Run Run’. Again giving off Kravitz vibes, it also has plenty of southern team and charm to it to cross over into country. It’s infectiously fun, and catchy as anything! It’s another absolutely excellent track that blends so many amazing sounds together like only Ty can do. His vocal style fits this sort of music amazingly too, almost more-so than the slower stuff. It’s also another one that I just HAVE to see live, and soon! And, though short, the guitar solo was also excellent, fitting the track to a tee. The talent on display is really off the charts. Honestly, I can’t get enough of it, and it’s yet another huge highlight on an album seemingly packed full of them!

‘Game Called Love’ is an almost Buffet-flavoured indie-country track, and is one that’s the perfect chilled vibe. It’s built for the beach, regardless of the lyrical content, and as someone who lives in the UK and as far away from the coast there as I can, alongside writing this review during a storm outside, this was absolutely what I needed! The subtle organ at times was a masterstroke, but all the instrumentation in this is so well put together and produced. It’s just a damn fun song, and one that will get even the most stubborn listeners dancing, or at least tapping their foot. I need this album to chill out, I’m starting to sound like a fangirl, aren’t I…?

Songs like ‘Leavin’ Carolina’, ‘Southbound’ and ‘Songs for You’ are more steady tracks like opening couple. All are good songs individually, as well as fitting the tone of the album perfectly. However, they certainly don’t stand out as much as some of the other tracks on the release. However, I honestly wouldn’t cut any of them, they all feel like they have their place here. The latter is probably my favourite of the trio.

‘Come on Over Baby’ is straight up classic blues in the best possible way. From some great acoustic riffing and playing to his New Orleans-drenched vocals and the build up into the massive, jazz-infused choruses, it’s all SO DAMN GOOD. Some of the guitar leads throughout are honestly phenomenal too, fitting the track excellently. The dynamics of the song are amazing, and make for a truly huge, well-earned final chorus. It’s a simple track so fantastically put together that it’s hard not to smile while listening to it. Old-school blues modernised into a 2026 package, and it’s impossible not to love it!

A piano leads ‘Through a Screen’, juxtaposing amazingly with the otherwise guitar-based album. It’s another ballad, but completely different to the others as it’s based much more around classical instruments. The strings swells are amazing, and it all once again builds to something truly magical at its crescendo. Once again, I can only marvel at the sheer talent on display from a writing and production standpoint. And I also love that it slowly strips back more and more to finish, closing out as it opened. Yet another fantastic highlight!

The only track on the album to feature a guest, the incomparable Marcus King does great on blues-funk number ‘Two Trains’. It’s got a great bounce and swagger to it, and both vocals complement each other perfectly. Also, the gospel harmonies through the choruses are fantastic, fitting the song so perfectly. It reminds me a little of mid-late 2000s Kid Rock, back when he wasn’t so cringy. And of course, a healthy dose of Lenny again for good measure. It’s another infectiously fun, really great track, and the fact that it has helped me get this far into the album without any semblance of fatigue is phenomenal.

The final three tracks round out the album excellently. They do feel like ‘Southbound’ et. Al, a little album track-y, but again all are that high quality that it would be a shame if they were cut from the release. The bluesy, almost TC3-like ‘Bad Guy’ is probably the stand-out from the three, but certainly none of them are bad. And ‘Good Morning Paris’ closes things perfectly with a moody folk-Americana sound that surprisingly feels like it brings in elements of most of the other tracks that precede it. And plus, the strings in the back end of it once again give it almost an epic feel to it. It’s a great way to close off, feeling like a true culmination of the last 16 tracks!

Overall: I didn’t know what to expect heading into this, but didn’t expect to love it as much as I did! For how long an album as it is, it is packed to the brim with standout tracks, and doesn’t once feel like it gets old or boring. Ty’s talent for songwriting and playing, across multiple instruments and sub-genres, is off the charts, and for a sophomore album to come out swinging this hard after such a big debut is incredible. If you are at all into any of the many genres this release covers, I cannot recommend checking it out enough. This will be certainly high on our albums of the year list come December, and I’ll be spinning it a lot in the weeks and months to come! The kid has an INSANELY bright future ahead of him!

The Score: 9/10

Reviews

These Wicked Rivers, Gorilla Riot and 28 Double at The Hairy Dog!

Southern/country rock band These Wicked Rivers took a brief break from their tour supporting bluegrass legends Hayseed Dixie to do a hometown gig. And what a gig it was. Playing to the absolutely packed Derby crowd at The Hairy Dog, it was definitely a night to remember for everyone involved. Add to that the fact that it was a fundraiser for These Wicked Rivers’ new album, and it was an awesome night for sure.

Other local boys 28 Double were the first to take the stage. While it wasn’t long after the doors had opened, they still drew a fair crowd. Being easily the heaviest band on the line-up, bordering on metal, it did feel like it took the crowd a little minute to warm to them. However, the band ripped through a fantastic short set of some of their best songs. I’ve seen them multiple times over the years, having gigged with them a fair bit back in the day, and they have come on massive amounts since. They put on a great show and sounded awesome!

Next up was the Manchester blues machine known as Gorilla Riot. Friends of the channel, it’s been almost a year since we last saw the band, at Amped last year. They were on top form again here. Arjun has such a fantastic swagger and stage presence, feeling like you’re watching a true rockstar. And yet he never overshadows the rest of the band, moving out of the spotlight even on longer instrumental parts. The band have great chemistry on stage too, clearly enjoying themselves and regularly joking around. The crowd ate up everything they laid down, too. They loved their grungy sound and great songwriting. If anything, my only criticism is that they didn’t have long enough on stage. However, they for sure won over some new fans with their set and were the perfect warmup to the headliners.

Then, came the headliners, the anticipation in the room palpable. These Wicked Rivers soon came on and left not a single person disappointed. Rattling through a set full of their older tracks and a few of the new singles too. This was by far the best set I’ve seen the band do. That’s a surprise too, as I’ve seen them a few times over the last couple of years. They keep getting better and better, both live and on track. If this gig is anything to go by, they are going to be HUGE in a year or two. One hell of a way to cap off a fantastic night and honestly one of the best sets I have seen from a band this year.

And there we have it, a brilliant night of great music from some of the best underground rock bands the scene has to offer. These Wicked Rivers are back out on the road with Hayseed Dixie while Gorillia Riot and 28 Double still have a few gigs left this year. Both bands are also headlining both nights of SharkFest in Cannock next year!

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Reviews

Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot – Side B: Is It Somehow Even Better than Everette’s Debut?

Country duo Everette released their muchly anticipated second album yesterday. A part two to their incredible debut album, it looks set to launch them into the stratosphere, as the band are gaining a lot of traction recently. I’d not even heard them before checking them out thanks to The Long Road Festival (find our review of it here), and have since become a little obsessed! I’ve been eagerly anticipating this album for the last couple of months now, so let’s see what it’s like!

Opening track ‘Run’ is one I’ve heard already, having reacted to it and ‘Make Me Want One’ when they were released as singles a few weeks ago. It’s just as fantastic a track as the first time I heard it. It’s slow, chilled out and infectiously catchy. It sets a fantastic mood for the rest of the album. I don’t have much more to add, if you like relaxed acoustic-country you’ll love this just as much as I do.

‘Woo Hoo Hoo’ has a great bouncy, groovy guitar riff running through it which starts the track off on a high. Add in the title lyrics being VERY catchy again and this is another great track. Also, the high ‘Woo hoo hoo’ing brought back vague drunken memories of The Long Road… I think they played this! It’s a testament to how fantastic these two are at writing songs that I can suddenly remember a track that I’d heard once months ago while half-cocked. The first chorus felt a little low but, honestly, by the second and third it all fit perfectly and felt just as anthemic as their other tracks. And the jamming outro is amazing, too Playlisted!

The lead single of the album, ‘Gonna be a Problem’, is another like ‘Run’. It’s chilled out, slower, but one of the most memorable, catchy songs I’ve heard in years. That chorus is incredible. It’s memorable and honestly everyone should hear this. It deserves to be the ‘next big song’, and hopefully now it’s gotten a second release it will get even bigger. It’s somehow pop, country, southern, blues and everything in between mushed together perfectly, and it couldn’t be better. We even get a guitar solo AND a half-time part in the barely three-minute track. This is phenomenal. Playlisted.

‘She Got That From Me’ is a cute but sad slower ballad. The lyrics here are amazing, which even more of an achievement when everything else plays second fiddle to them a little. It’s simple drums and guitar chords but Brent Rupard’s effortlessly amazing vocals make this song another great one. Another track that I can’t pick fault with, I feel like it’s a trend…

‘Wild Woman’ picks up a bit more of the southern rock style than anything else so far. Honestly this would fit right at home on a Cadillac Three album. It drops down a little for the verses but stays higher energy throughout. It’s a lot of fun and my only complaint is that it’s only two-and-a-half minutes.

The cleverly titled ‘Shrunk as Drit’ is just as fun in its lyrics. I don’t know whether it’s my childish sense of humour, but all the letter swapping and mispronunciation did make me giggle. It’s a good old-school country song on its own right, too. It reminds me a bit of Blake Shelton’s ‘Some Beach’, which is also a fantastic song. It’s an upbeat, silly and infectiously fun and catchy, as hard as it’s going to be to learn the lyrics! Playlisted!

Next up is a track I have been literally obsessed with since they released it, ‘Make me Want One’. I reacted to this one in the same video as ‘Run’ a few days after its release, which I’ll link below. Having first heard this track live, I have barely gotten it out of my head. I can go a few days without hearing it and have checked out another few albums and then bam, out of nowhere it’s back in my head again. That’s fine though because I LOVE this song. How do two guys write such simple yet massively catchy and emotion-filled tracks? It’s not fair, but so awesome. Check this one out, everything about it is amazing. It’s already on the playlist.

Closing track ‘Get By’ is of course an amazing track, but is maybe the weakest on the album. However, that’s saying nothing, as it’s still great. It’s chilled out again, catchy and another anthem for the people. I can’t say anything else without appearing like a fangirl or repeating what I’ve said about previous tracks. Check this out!

Overall: What a phenomenal album. I don’t think I was expecting any less, but it’s still incredible that I can’t pick a single fault with it. Every song is amazing in its own right and the whole album, unlike most country albums these days, is short, concise and perfectly put together. I cannot gush about this album enough. Therefore, it has to get top marks…

The Score: 10/10