Plenty of country fans will complain that country music isn’t what it used to be, and they’re totally right. It’s always changing, and no one will ever stop it. Like any genre, modern trends and new ideas seem to creep in and alter the giant swinging pendulum of popular sounds.
“Pop country” has been one of the most resisted evolutions of any musical genre in history, with the most recent forms involving 808s, clap tracks, and autotune. With those elements growing more common for the last decade or two, it’s easy to point the finger at all the terrible pop country songs. However, it’s also possible to look back and point out the best ways in which certain attempts are executed. As such, we’ve compiled five remarkable trends that have positively contributed to the genre’s recent growth:
Intentional Production
In the heyday of artists like Sam Hunt, Kane Brown, and Dan + Shay back in the mid to late 2010s, it seemed like there was a strict (yet still very lazy) formula for creating pop country. Listening to songs from that era, it seemed like as soon as a producer found a beat or drum sample, they used it and never really worried about whether it matched the rest of the instrumentation (if that’s what you’d like to call it). If you can remember stuff like Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Backroad,” and Chase Rice’s “Eyes On You,” country fans heard some of the most tasteless percussive elements, paired with big vocal mixes that felt far from the intimate, precious feel of the eras preceding.
The major complaints surrounding “that ain’t country” and “we don’t want your 808s in our genre” were about the lack of effort in the approach of slapping a spineless country trope over a quickly assembled GarageBand-made beat that sounded elementary at best.
Fortunately, the genre has come a long way. Whether it’s inspired by second-hand embarrassment or not, artists in this space, as well as the producers who bring the songs to life, have gotten much more consistent with digging deep and focusing on every major and minor detail within their work. You’ll notice meticulous intricacies within the arrangements of songs like “Superman” by Morgan Wallen and many others.
Sections flow and grow gradually with carefully tuned sound effects and instruments, which help to make every stanza stand out in different ways. Now, with these producers gatekeeping their own secret recording and processing techniques, everyone wants to figure out how to record and engineer music as good as that of innovators like Joey Moi. The art of pop country production has certainly deepened and developed into something deserving of much more respect than in previous years.
Calculated Use Of Modern Sounds
Some artists have been able to incorporate elements of pop into their music without taking much away from the authentic country sound and feeling that carry their artistry. Ian Munsick has been able to incorporate electronic drum samples and high levels of vocal processing while still creating art with incredible detail and a distinct vision. His album Eagle Feather was full of vivid imagery, with music and melodies that felt equally intentional. As his own producer, Ian added vocal tuning and 808s to fit the stories and landscapes he was describing, adding his personal touch. Munsick’s music, and the work of others like him, feels less like slapped-together, lazily written, box-checking radio slop and more like uniquely arranged art that utilizes new methods and assets to make something that the world hasn’t heard before.
Bringing Back Complex Arrangements
While it’s not totally fair to label her a full-on pop country act, Ella Langley is a great example of how far pop country arrangement has come. In one listen through “Choosin’ Texas,” you can hear so many elements that were missing from the subgenre over the last decade or so. The opening guitar calls back to the nostalgic harmonic guitar sounds of songs like “Slow Hand” by Conway Twitty, which was also considered somewhat pop in its time. With her latest album, Dandelion, being heavily inspired by the progressive styles of Ronnie Milsap, it’s only natural that she seeks to widen the lines of what’s normal in mainstream country music.
Before bland, repetitive four-chord radio hits reigned, there were way more unique progressions and melodies like that found on the charts. Listen to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’s “Islands In The Stream,” or pretty much anything else in the genre from the 80s, and you’ll find proof of that, especially on the more pop side of things. As of now, the subgenre is trending toward practices similar to those of that era, which rocks.
Minimal Stylistic Redundancy
You may remember how it felt sifting through different radio stations or playlists pre-COVID. There was a time when all pop country sounded pretty much the same. As stated above, many producers came up with a sound that seemed as if they went with the first samples they found in a slim selection. Flipping through radio stations in the 2010s was a constant depression for anyone searching for something outside of form. Nothing seemed to make it onto the charts without a clap/snap track or bro country’s coined wall of sound. However, over time, different artists have taken their sounds in different directions, and there are now many more versions of music that qualify as pop country.
There are monumental differences within the musical infrastructure of music from Ella Langley, Morgan Wallen, Graham Barham, and Shaboozey. Each of those artists has their own touch; Shaboozey has his own version of pop country, with fiddle-infusion paired with hip-hop influence, and Graham is deep in his club-country arc, calling upon styles more known from Pitbull than from the typical country singer. Avoiding the stereotype that “every song sounds the same,” this generation’s cycle of hits offers a refreshing mix of styles, giving every listener something to like.
Leaving a Legacy?
Different sources may reference different points at which “pop country” really began, but it wasn’t as recent as many would assume. In their prime, Alabama was sometimes accused of relying too much on pop elements, like synthesizers and 80s arena-rock drums. However, they’re still one of the most legendary country bands in history. Now, those sounds that seemed too modern then have become cherished and nostalgic. With the high quality of today’s more progressive country sounds, there will likely be a similar effect. While many of these modern songs may not feel timeless right now, they will one day be considered oldies, and with recent improvements in how pop country is created and defined, that isn’t such a terrifying idea. It’s more than likely that hits from stars Morgan Wallen and Ella Langley will be carried on by nostalgia throughout decades to come, without being heavily affected by modern stigmas against pop production. If we can learn anything from the history of bands like Alabama and artists such as Elvis and Shania Twain, it’s that a good legacy outlasts momentary resistance every time.
