Something to Lose – Stella Lefty feat. Vincent Mason Written By Max Buondonno
Stella Lefty has been spending a lot of time in the limelight after her breakout hit “Boston” went viral. Now, she’s freshening up her discography by dipping her toes in more contemporary, acoustic-laced tracks with the EP Is This Heaven?, with her first collaboration leading the charge. “Something To Lose,” which sees Lefty pair up with Vincent Mason, chronicles a carefree personality suddenly changing after finding the love of their life. Lefty’s breezy, Laci Kaye Booth-esque vocals mesh well with Mason’s, while the production keeps things simple and airy with enough breathing room to leave their voices center stage. It’s in the writing and chord progression that “Something To Lose” manages to stand out in Lefty’s young discography. The track avoids cliché, glitzy, pop-country choruses and hooks, opting for a more grounded, storyteller approach to its lyrics, giving it a more authentic sound than many of the songs she’s released. Coupled with its slower tempo, Lefty’s able to give her artistry a grander stage to stand on. There’s an aching feeling throughout the track that it could punch higher than it does, with Lefty’s vocals both shining brighter than they ever have, despite sounding timid and restricted. Mason delivers a similar performance, which makes his presence a bit forgettable once his verse concludes. Still, Lefty shows signs of promise with “Something To Lose.” Whether she tries harder for viral fame or sticks with more folksy tracks like this remains unclear, but she definitely can do both.
7.4
Fish Hunt Golf Drink – Luke Bryan Written By Max Buondonno
The greatest excuse for any song that’s perceived as terrible by an artist’s fans is to call it “fun” and accuse anyone who dislikes it of being a miserable, out-of-touch, hopeless meat bag. The idea of Luke Bryan’s latest single, “Fish Hunt Golf Drink,” should therefore give you much joy and favor throughout your life, because you’re obviously a mentally depressed person otherwise. It took three people to write “Fish Hunt Golf Drink,” presumably to come up with all four words with Bryan for the title. Whether you want to call it “AI-generated” or straight-up lazy, this song doesn’t even try to evoke a sense of enjoyment, unless you’ve literally never heard a country song before in your life. The evil tax man forces you to work every day! Your boss is breathing down your neck! You have responsibilities because you’re an adult! How terrible! If only you were in control of your life, as if you were a sentient being with a brain and free will. Wouldn’t life be so much better? Because then, you could – oh, I don’t know, – fish, hunt, golf and drink all day and waste your life away! Remarkable! These concepts are not only stale and overused by legacy acts like Bryan, but they also project a sense of reluctance and disinterest in the music he’s making. As long as no one’s cut it before him, it doesn’t seem to matter how braindead and tired the lyrics are. Maybe that’ll work for some, but if your own fans are complaining about how boring it is, it could be a sign to go back to the drawing board.
1.3
Ain’t Over Me Yet – Carter Faith Written By Aishwarya Rajan
From free and wild to scorned, as in “If I Had Never Lost My Mind…,” Carter Faith’s discography has explored soundscapes ranging from boppy, feel-good songs like “I Just Wanna Dance” to the sinister sadness of “Sinners in a Small Town.” Our first taste of Cherry Valley incorporated clever quips that infused these similar sounds into ideas of a begrudging attitude towards an ex and regret painted by an orchestral ensemble. Her knack for storytelling and playful structures rooted in old country textures from jumpy piano clicks, whining pedal steels, and twangy percussion may seem typical for the country landscape, but nowadays, it’s anything but. Factoring in the North Carolina-native’s sweet, delicate, yet smoky tone, Carter Faith is a breath of fresh air for the genre. “Ain’t Over Me Yet,” her latest addition to Cherry Valley Forever, is another example of this. Carter loves torturing herself with memories and mistakes she’ll regret: one in which loneliness turns into a phone call and a night of repentance. The story rolls off her tongue like poetry: strikingly descriptive and almost worthy of pity. Her painful honesty about the situation that culminated in re-igniting a flame for even a night takes shape with a deceptively simple melody. It pulls you in gently through an amalgamation of bass, acoustic guitar, and a pedal steel ghosting beneath it all. There’s a lingering sadness that undercuts every moment, and Faith has continued to prove her talent as a fully equipped artist across performance and writing, in a way that will still reach a wide range of listeners.
8.7
Late Night Lover – Phil Kane Written By Aishwarya Rajan
Being someone’s “late-night lover” might be the kind of half-thought statement that tumbles out of a fraternity member at your local sigma-something establishment, convinced he was really doing something. It’s the type of words that would send any woman into a tailspin. Biting your teeth, swallowing the casualty of a three-month situation that felt anything but casual. Until 1:03, Phil Kane makes you think he is another disappointing early twenty-something where romance is unbeknownst to him and caring for someone is beneath him. “Late Night Lover” slowly swoons you into realizing that Kane’s interpretation of a “late-night lover” is one of unadulterated, romantic love for someone who views him as a friend. It enters with a display of melodic and lyrical simplicity: repetitive lyricism and a single electric guitar progression that is subtly elevated into the song’s closing minute. At its introduction, the spacey depth of a reverb-soaked electric guitar is seated in indie textures that tether Kane’s tone into its staunchly country space. With a few kick drum beats, Kane explores the concept of being more than someone’s friend: he yearns for the romance of being the first person they think of in the morning for reasons other than a drunken night’s debrief, the passion of being with that someone truly, and the steamy moments in between. Carrying him through are swanky plays of electric guitar that swell into wailing strokes, balanced by the brush of a cymbal and the retro clicks of piano keys. In this latest single, Kane convinces you that maybe being someone’s “late-night lover” isn’t so bad after all.
8.4
Crisco – Miranda Lambert Written By Aishwarya Rajan
MCA recently added another artist to its roster, none other than Miranda Lambert. To ring in this new milestone, she carries on the influence of “A Song to Sing,” which perhaps hinted at a new direction, through her new single “Crisco.” However, this sound is only a quiet hat-tip away from the artistry Lambert has spent her career defining. “Crisco,” for however fun it is intended to be, offers lyricism that is a far cry from “Bluebird,” “If I Was a Cowboy,” or “Gunpowder and Lead.” Understandably, after more than 10 projects and a co-writing trail spread across an even larger surface area of the industry, the itch to start anew is certainly earned. There is, however, a way to do so tastefully, without sounding like a household staple’s newest advertisement jingle. In “Crisco,” Lambert is clearly happy in her relationship. So happy, in fact, that it reminds her of cooking with Crisco, the same product whose label reads “great for cooking and baking.” Even after 20 plays, you’re left wondering what exactly that says about the relationship. If you can get past the head-scratching lyricism, Miranda’s strength at production outshines every other aspect of this otherwise uninspired song. It recalls the days of Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton, and The Doobie Brothers with striking accuracy, fusing the glitter of disco with country through jazzy piano chords and string instruments that swell into something resembling a unicorn’s excretion of rainbows and confetti. The result is lighthearted and easy to move to, right up until you realize you’ve spent 2:56 of your life trying to decode a metaphor that could have read: life is stable and easy with you. Maybe, much like Crisco itself, her overly-verbose statements were meant to explain that their love will have a very long shelf life.
3.3
This Town Ain’t Small Enough – Brad Paisley Written By Will Chapman
After last week’s slew of unarchived singles, it’s safe to say Brad Paisley is officially back. “This Town Ain’t Small Enough,” the second “hook” from his ever-expanding project Tacklebox, is packed with all of the tongue-in-cheek humor and Telecaster goodness that made us all fall in love with Paisley over 20 years ago. Penned by Paisley and Chris Dubois, “This Town Ain’t Small Enough” rags on urban sophistication, while commenting on Nashville’s growth. One thing that has always set Brad Paisley apart is the way he straddles the line between being a serious artist without taking himself too seriously, blending truth and humor. “This Town Ain’t Small Enough” is a prime example of this blend. “A place to park costs thirty bucks” holds enough frustration and truth for him to get away with rhyming “neon” with “pee on” shortly afterward. Similarly, the rural hallmarks of Mama’s fried chicken and old men at the bait and tackle shop are real enough to set up “I need to see a bird that ain’t a damn pigeon.” The production also recalls some of his earlier work. Ben Sesar’s train beat, which defined some of his best music, is a driving force. There’s also no shortage of guitar work here. We can tell it’s a Brad Paisley song well before the vocal, as he comes out of the gate strutting with his G bender in a way that’s reminiscent of “Long Sermon,” the first track from his debut record. “This Town Ain’t Small Enough” is an intriguing release that can’t help but make us wonder, what else is in the Tacklebox?
8.5
Traitor (Roles Reversed) – Megan Moroney Written By Jack Humphrey
In its first two minutes of runtime, Megan Moroney’s “Traitor (Roles Reversed)” has all the hallmarks of a Target-exclusive bonus track. It’s Sheryl Crow-esque, 2000s pop-rock production isn’t overly exciting, and while our narrator’s cold war with her philandering, gaslighting boyfriend is interesting and fun to follow, there’s something about the storytelling that feels a little plain and placid. Meg fills her first-person narrative with salacious details, but when you consider the sheer volume of songs she’s dedicated to the callous players she’s dated, “Traitor’s” indictments don’t stick quite as hard as those in “Who Hurt You” or “No Caller ID.” That said, things catch fire when the bridge rolls around, as Meg channels her inner Taylor Swift for a cathartic, scream-singing repudiation of her disloyal lover; in exhausted, hyper-specific fury, she finds a second gear in her arsenal as a vocalist, which launches “Traitor” from a ho-hum “Megan Moroney-type song,” the likes of which dominated much of Cloud 9, to a true standout. Though a more defined emotional arc would’ve made this track feel a lot more well-rounded from a songwriting perspective, it certainly doesn’t feel like an afterthought or a skippable bonus track.
6.9
Better That Way – Charles Wesley Godwin feat. Luke Combs Written By Will Chapman
On paper, a collaboration between Charles Wesley Godwin and Luke Combs reads as a meeting of two different lanes within modern country, but in practice, the divide is less dramatic than it may initially appear. There is a noticeable radio-ready polish compared to some of Godwin’s earlier work, but it doesn’t feel like an abandonment of identity so much as a shift in scale. Rather than functioning as a collision of contrasting identities, the song feels more like two artists working within overlapping spaces at different levels of visibility. The arrangement reflects that clearly, giving both vocalists room to operate without forcing either into an unfamiliar role. Godwin’s writing, although watered down, maintains its grounded, narrative focus, while Combs brings a vocal weight and clarity that blend naturally into the track’s structure. “Better That Way” functions cleanly within both of their catalogs, emphasizing balance and execution over any sense of stylistic departure.
7.0
Sad Country Songs – Solon Holt Written By Adam Delahoussaye
On the back of his recent signing with Republic and Trenches Records, Texas soulster Solon Holt is calling his new deal single “a bridge between who I was and who I’m becoming.” The lane switch shouldn’t shock most, as Holt’s strong and sturdy vibrato has sounded like it’s been on the verge of combustion since he first hit the scene back in late 2024. But “Sad Country Songs,” a funerary spin on his origin story, isn’t as much of a hard exit out of his comfort zone as it is him finally finding his footing. There are flecks of an anthemic Oasis-type chorus in the earworm hook, some serious gruff and growl in the verses that spout lines like “you are what you listen to, the music doesn’t lie.” The glowing keyboard components are as far from Music Row as it gets, echoing Abbey Road or even Fame Studios in their accents, which sound like teardrops hitting a puddle of rain. While Holt has all the technical components of a bona fide country star in his songwriting, his stylistic choices have always pointed to an artist with broader ambitions. This single seems to reflect that, purposefully pulling away from the neon in favor of lighting that’s much more complementary to his gripping and sternum-shaking voice. The core of Solon Holt may have originated in whiskey-laden numbers on heartbreak, but his accents are quickly fleshing out into something unique.
7.4
Might Be In It – Colton Dawson Written By Adam Delahoussaye
A sleek drawl and some wiry guitar grooves make it pretty easy for Colton Dawson to pass the eye test. He sounds like he might headline a weekend set at Robert’s on Broadway, or be in the budding stages of stardom as an emulator of that new 90’s feel that so many artists and labels are pining after on the heels of acts like Jake Worthington and Zach Top. It’s a mood that may take him far, and for a debut single, “Might Be In It” points to a young talent that might soon surpass tribute act territory. Call it a reorganized version of Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It,” the 19-year-old seems to know a thing or two about throwing your pride aside for romance. Like his idols, he also has an acute sense of how to verbalize that abstract feeling through his up-and-down vocal inflections, which hang onto lyrics that pull him in a thousand different directions. Like most honky-tonk lovebird ballads, it’s a jumble of emotion that comes together through talent and tangible effects; we show up late to work for love, we’re not present in the moment if they’re not there. It takes on physical forms that our brains aren’t complex enough to fully flesh out. It’s clear that Dawson knows what makes this music great at its core, and it may only be a matter of time before he becomes part of the standard he’s currently aspiring to.
7.1
