Cole Swindell Talks Quarantine ‘Hobbies,’ Songwriting From Home and His Next Album
Cole Swindell is feeling the pandemic fatigue. In between questions about his newest single, "Single Saturday Night," and other new music during a virtual roundtable in mid-June, the singer and songwriter admits that he's "maybe a six or a seven" on the "How are you handling COVID-19?" scale.
Some days feel like a usual month off. Others feel like a horrible Groundhog Day scenario.
"It's crazy to think about: I don't know when the next show's gonna be," Swindell reflects at one point. Scheduled to be on the road with Thomas Rhett this summer, he is instead hanging out at home, "[finding] the end of Netflix and Hulu and every other streaming service," golfing and doing some songwriting.
"I've written a couple songs [via Zoom] that will end up on my next album, I'm sure of it," Swindell shares, noting that it took a minute to get used to the idea of writing in a virtual room, rather than an actual one. Because of the potential awkwardness, Swindell is keeping his circle of co-writers to familiar faces -- buddies Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman and Hardy, for example -- but he's still grateful to have the option.
"I'm gonna keep writing as much as I can," he says, "[but] there's nothing like being in a room and coming up with a line and freaking out."
Swindell is also listening to plenty of music: New stuff from Ingrid Andress and Sam Hunt is keeping his attention, as are some classic '90s country tracks and a whole bunch of demos, both his own and those from other writers -- potential cuts for his new record.
As of Swindell's chat with media members, he'd recorded only a handful of tracks for that next project, which will be his fourth full-length studio album. One is a duet -- "I'm not gonna say any more ... but we're really excited about the song," the artist hints -- and he also mentions a co-write with Jon Nite and Ross Copperman, called "One," that they penned during the coronavirus quarantine, though he's not entirely positive it'll end up in the final tracklist.
"As bad as everything has been, it seems like, I honestly think some good is gonna come out of this year," Swindell muses. "It's life, and it seems bad, but this is just part of it."
Because of the virus, Swindell's plans for the rest of the year are a bit nebulous. He hopes to get back in the studio to record more of his new songs, but he's aware of the need to keep everyone safe and comfortable. "You don't wanna put anyone in a weird spot," he says, "especially when you're trying to make music."
Additionally, Swindell's Down to Earth Tour, originally scheduled for the spring, is now set for this fall. Everything's ready to go, and he's itching to make it happen, but he and his team will adjust as needed.
"As much as I want to be playing shows ... we gotta get through this thing," Swindell says, "and be smart about it."
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