First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos and albums that dropped this week.
There are plenty of new country releases Friday (Sept. 6), and the reveal of several upcoming projects as well. Maddie & Tae dropped a brand-new song called “Bathroom Floor,” which will be included on the duo’s forthcoming five-song EP Everywhere I’m Goin’, out Oct. 18. Additionally, HARDY surprised the country world with the one-two punch of “He Went to Jared,” featuring Morgan Wallen, and “Nothin’ Out Here,” featuring Thomas Rhett, both off his upcoming HARDY HixTape Vol. 1 out Sept. 13.
Here are seven songs to keep on repeat this weekend.
Charlie Worsham, “I Hope I’m Stoned (When Jesus Takes Me Home),” feat. Old Crow Medicine Show
Charlie Worsham channels his country and bluegrass roots on the traditional-leaning “I Hope I’m Stoned (When Jesus Takes Me Home).” With additional harmonies from Old Crow Medicine Show, delicate plucks of a banjo, and wavering harmonica features, the stripped-down track is easy to envision being played at Nashville’s Station Inn.
Gone West, “What Could’ve Been”
Gone West released the video for its heartbreaking single “What Could’ve Been” on Friday. Filmed in the Tennessee hills, the clip stars real-life couples Colbie Caillat and fiancé Justin Kawika Young alongside husband and wife Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy as the quartet act out scenes of what could happen at the end of a relationship. With stirring harmonies and a storyline that comes to life on the screen, the hurt within “What Could’ve Been” cuts deep.
HARDY, “He Went to Jared,” feat. Morgan Wallen
HARDY says goodbye to an ex in the infectious “He Went to Jared,” where he sings of almost settling for a girl who chose a paper pusher over a dirt pusher like himself. “He went to Ole Miss, I went to work/ He pushes paper I push the dirt … He went to Jared, I went to the bar,” he croons alongside ear-grabbing percussion and gritty guitar parts.
Maddie & Tae, “Bathroom Floor”
Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye prove they’re the kind of friends a girl needs during a heartbreak on the feel-good “Bathroom Floor.” While a somber tale of a girl struggling following a split, the upbeat music and the duo’s powerhouse vocals help convince a friend to “get up off the bathroom floor” for a girl’s night out. “No it ain’t your fault/ He couldn’t see you’re beautiful, his loss/ So put on your high heels/ I bet ya gonna love the way it feels,” Maddie & Tae sing.
Mandolin Orange, “Belly of the Beast” and “Paper Mountain”
Roots duo Mandolin Orange has released two songs ahead of two sold-out shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium this weekend. The reflective “Paper Mountain” stuns with stirring harmonies from singer Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz while the captivating “Belly of the Beast” is sure to transcend in the live setting.
Sam Williams, “Weatherman”
Sam Williams puts a unique spin on his father’s 1981 song “Weatherman.” The son of Hank Williams Jr., with yearning vocals and slowed musical accompaniment, the younger Williams portrays a tortured soul navigating the storms life can bring. “I need some blue skies and sunshine/ I need a good forecast tonight,” he sings with distinct soul.