Tenille Townes’ ‘In My Blood’ + 13 More New Songs You’ve Got to Hear [LISTEN]
Country artists released a wide variety of new music lately, from breakup tracks to love songs and everything in between. Read on to get all caught up on the latest goings-on in the world of new songs!
Tenille Townes, "In My Blood":
Celebrating women is one of the things that Tenille Townes is all about. The singer recently debuted a new song, “In My Blood,” to show support for the many women that play an integral part in agriculture around the world. Townes wrote the song with an all-female team to launch National FFA Week; FFA is also known as Future Farmers of America.
“It is an honour to have written this song with the heart of women in agriculture in mind,” Townes shared in a press release. “These are the women who inspire and shape all of us and it makes me think of the strong women in my life I grew up looking up to. The ones who made me believe anything is possible. Their legacy is something we get to keep building upon and that’s what I was dreaming about writing this song.” -- CC
Tucker Beathard, "You Would Think":
Tucker Beathard has shared "You Would Think" ahead of the release of the second half of his debut double album. Ever the wordsmith, Beathard’s latest release relies on the story he was able to create in the writer's room.
“What I love about songwriting is that it can be so personal, but you also get to tell stories for other people and from other people’s outlook,” explained Beathard in a press release. “With this song, I think when people initially hear it they might automatically assume it is about a romantic relationship, but when we were writing it we felt like it could be from the viewpoint of so many different relationships, whether it be romantic or even a family dynamic like a child to his or her parent. I think when you listen to it with that in mind it gives you a whole different perspective of the song.” Beathard wrote “You Would Think” along with Donovan Woods and his songwriter dad, Casey Beathard. -- CC
Brian Fallon, "I Don't Mind (If I'm With You)":
Brian Fallon's latest release, "I Don't Mind (If I’m With You)," is a sweet track about the inner serenity that comes along with finding someone to spend time with. Fallon explained that the inspiration for the song comes from a childhood memory.
"I remember being very afraid of the dark when I was a kid, so my parents put a little night light that I could see from my room," the singer says in a press release. “It wasn’t much, but it lit up the hallway that led to their room. This world has been going through some very dark times as of late, and I believe that having that friend, or loved one standing beside you can be just the thing to help us all feel the courage we need to walk forward in the darkness." "I Don't Mind (If I’m With You)" will appear on Fallon’s upcoming album, Local Honey, which is set for release on March 27. -- CC
Lucinda Williams, "You Can't Rule Me":
Lucinda Williams snarls, growls and riffs her way through a message of empowerment in "You Can't Rule Me," the bluesy opening track off of her forthcoming April release, Good Souls Better Angels. The track finds Williams in her attitude-filled element, surrounded by longtime bandmates Stuart Mathis, Butch Norton and David Sutton. "You Can't Rule Me" sets the tone for Williams' next release, which is rife with searing sociopolitical commentary and modern-day, apocalyptic urgency. -- CL
Walker Montgomery, "Like My Daddy Done It":
Although Walker Montgomery might have a famously musical dad -- John Michael Montgomery -- his song “Like My Daddy Done It” is all about celebrating the everyday things that nearly all dads do.
The song zeroes in on the relationship between fathers and their sons, reflecting on how, no matter how hard the kid's might resist, they will eventually pick up some of their dad's same qualities. Throughout the song, Montgomery sings about about all the things he’s picked up from his old man. He finds himself taking on his dad's sayings, waking up early in the morning to get things done, fiercely loving his lady, and sometimes deciding to take the long way home. “Like My Daddy Done It” was written by Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip and Chase McGill. -- CC
Reckless Kelly, "North American Jackpot":
Reckless Kelly's newest single, "North American Jackpot," is also the title track of one of a pair of albums the group has set for release on May 22. The new song, a rock-inflected meditation on the complexities of the American experience, serves as a "cornerstone" for their next musical chapter, the group tells Taste of Country.
The Texas-based band's new set of albums will be their first release since 2015, when they put out Sunset Motel. -- CL
Kree Harrison, "Make it Easy":
Kree Harrison's sorrowful, conflicted new single, "Make it Easy," is a powerful reflection on a breakup that's all the more painful because the other person is so great. The song comes off Harrison's upcoming sophomore album, Chosen Family Tree, which is due for release on June 12.
"Just break my heart, build a wall / Take no blame, say it's all my fault / Make it easy on me," Harrison sings in the ballad's soaring chorus. "Tell me lies, slam the door / Love me less, hurt me more / Make it easy on me..." -- CL
Lucas Hoge, "This Old Flame":
Running into an ex can be an awkward, and sometimes an even traumatizing, experience. For Lucas Hoge, however, sometimes it is an opportunity to throw some gasoline onto an old flame and see it passionately reignite.
In “This Old Flame” Hoge revisits a past relationship, and tries to see if it will go any farther. In a press release, Hoge explained the writing process between himself, Jack Williams and Troy Johnson, saying “wanted to dig a little deeper, where you remember the great times and decide to try it again and pour more into it!" -- CC
Eric Ethridge, "Dream Girl":
Reflecting on losing a love has never sounded so good with the release of Eric Ethridge’s “Dream Girl.” In the uptempo song, Ethridge sings about how his ex went from being the perfect girl to just someone he sees in his dreams.
“Dream Girl” was written by Dan Smyer and Shay Mooney (of Dan + Shay), Jenn Schott and Will Weatherly. “From the moment I heard this song, I knew I had to record it,” Ethridge told Taste of Country. “I’m a fan of Dan and Shay’s writing -- especially their unique melodies and phrasing. I’ve looked up to them as artists for a long time, I’m grateful to have this song on my record. In the ever-evolving process of finding ways to ‘stand out from the crowd,’ 'Dream Girl' was the first song I’ve ever recorded that encompasses the sound I’ve been chasing all this time. It’s powerful, dynamic and it’s a great way to introduce to the world the exciting direction my music is heading in.”
"Dream Girl" is the first track the singer has shared off of his upcoming album, which expected in September. -- CC
Jessi Alexander, "I Should Probably Go Now":
Jessi Alexander's latest release off of her upcoming album, Decatur County Red, is a lonely country ballad about a love story that, well, probably shouldn't ever happen. In a recent preview of the music on the new record, Alexander told The Boot and other outlets that the song is one of the rawest, most haunting cuts on her project.
"This is a one-take vocal," she pointed out. "This is raw. You'll hear the breaks in my voice. You'll hear the heartbreak, the lonesome, the vulnerability [in] the characters that I wrote about. I love to let the listener figure out what's going on in the scene, and I'll be honest, as a writer in the song, I had to figure out what was going on. I wanted to make a cinematic movie of a song, where everyone could walk away trying to figure out what happened." -- CL
Lakeview, "Poor Me":
Lakeview’s “Poor Me” is a high energy track about the familiar country theme of putting in the work during the week to be able to kick back on the weekends. The duo, made up of Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy, sing about the work week finally be done.
“I got the check in the bank account / The weekend's finally rolled around / Drop a line to my party crowd," they sing in the chorus. "Gettin’ over it, gettin’ over this / Working just to make a buck / I swear I never have enough / But we show up, and we show out / And now we’re ‘bout to get loud...” -- CC
Kylie Morgan, "Break Things":
Kylie Morgan offers up fair warning in her new song, "Break Things," an anthemic new word to the wise for anyone considering trusting her with any fragile objects -- including a heart. Morgan first debuted the track for an industry crowd at the annual UMG luncheon and showcase during the 2020 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. The rising artist has been named a member of the newest class of CMT Next Women of Country, and was discovered by songwriting legend Shane McAnally. -- CL
Avenue Beat, "Ruin That for Me":
Breaking up can leave a bad taste in your mouth. Instead of letting a breakup taint their views on the things that they love, Avenue Beat is clear in their latest release, “Ruin That for Me,” that bad memories of an ex won’t ruin a thing. The trio sing about forging on with their regularly scheduled lives, saying “You ain't gonna ruin that road that we drove, windows rolled down / No, I ain't changin' the station playing our songs / I got it turned up loud as it goes / And you ain't on my mind...” -- CC