Country Music Songs You Need To Hear This Week Featuring Koe Wetzel, Carter Faith, Eric Church & More

Koe Wetzel - Time Goes On

Koe Wetzel has never sounded like he was chasing approval. If anything, his catalog reads like a middle finger scribbled in permanent marker, loud, messy, honest, and defiantly his. But on his new track, “Time Goes On,” the underground country-rock firebrand trades some of the barroom chaos for something more reflective and somehow hits even harder because of it. For years, Wetzel has lived in the space between genres and outside the lines, too rough for Nashville polish, too country for rock radio, too self-aware to play either game straight. That tension has always been his fuel. But now, it’s becoming his clarity. “Time Goes On” feels like a checkpoint in a career built on burning past the speed limit. Co-written with frequent collaborators Amy Allen, Carrie Karpinen, Josh Serrato, and producer Gabe Simon, the track keeps Wetzel’s signature sonic grit intact, distorted edges, driving melody, and that unmistakable rock-grunge-meets-country snarl, while opening the door to something more introspective. Less rebellion for rebellion’s sake. More reckoning. Right out of the gate, Wetzel frames the song with a working-man what-if that cuts straight to the bone: I could have done a lot of things right, I could have done a lot of things wrong, Could be pouring concrete on a West Texas street, But I’m writing this song. It’s the thesis statement of an artist who knows exactly where he came from and how thin the line was between this life and another one entirely. There’s gratitude here, but it’s not polished into something pretty. It’s raw, a little bruised, and fully self-aware. That’s the magic of Wetzel at his best, he doesn’t overcomplicate the emotional payload. He delivers it straight, loud, and human. The line reads simple on paper, but in his voice it carries mileage, the kind earned from late nights, bad calls, second chances, and stubborn survival. Country music has always had its outlaws. Wetzel belongs to a modern subclass: the underground disruptors who don’t ask to be let in, they build their own door and kick it open. With “Time Goes On,” he proves evolution doesn’t mean losing your edge. Sometimes it means finally understanding it. And if this track is any indication, Koe Wetzel isn’t slowing down, he’s locking in.

Carter Faith - Fame Is A Gun 

Carter Faith has built a reputation in Nashville for emotional precision, the kind of artist who doesn’t just sing a song, but inhabits it. And now, with her newly wide-released cover of Addison Rae’s “Fame Is A Gun,” she proves that great storytelling doesn’t care where a song starts, only where a voice can take it. Originally released exclusively through Amazon Music last fall, Faith’s haunting, slowed-down reimagining quickly became a fan-favorite deep cut. After months of steady demand and word-of-mouth buzz, the cover is now officially available across all streaming platforms and it arrives not as a novelty, but as a statement. Clocking in at four immersive minutes, Faith’s version strips the gloss and glare from the original and replaces it with tension, atmosphere, and ache. Where the pop production once leaned into shine and spectacle, Faith leans into shadow. The tempo breathes. The lyrics linger. Every line feels less like a hook and more like a confession. It’s a reminder of something Nashville knows well but the broader industry sometimes forgets: a great song is elastic. In the right hands, it can become something entirely new. Faith approaches “Fame Is A Gun” with a quiet intensity, her vocal performance controlled but emotionally loaded. She doesn’t oversing, she doesn’t have to. The restraint is the power. Each phrase lands with deliberate weight, transforming the track into a smoky, late-night meditation on image, identity, and consequence. The result is one of the more compelling cross-genre covers to surface in recent months, not because it’s unexpected, but because it’s so fully realized. Faith doesn’t sound like she’s experimenting. She sounds like she owns it. For longtime listeners, the cover reinforces what they already suspected: Carter Faith has serious Nashville muscle and wide creative range. For new listeners, it serves as a near-perfect entry point, proof that whatever lane she chooses, she can drive it straight through the center line. Some covers feel like tributes. This one feels like a reinvention.

49 Winchester - Pardon Me

As the pride of Virginia’s modern country-rock underground prepares for its next chapter, 49 Winchester isn’t just releasing a new record, they’re planting a flag. And if early signals are any indication, it may land squarely at the top of year-end lists before summer even fades. 49 Winchester will officially unveil their sixth studio album and major label debut Change of Plans on February 6, alongside a brand-new single titled “Pardon Me.” The full album is set to arrive May 15, marking a pivotal moment for a band that has steadily built one of the most loyal followings in roots-driven country and Americana through relentless touring, lived-in songwriting, and a sound that refuses to smooth out its edges. Fronted by singer-songwriter Isaac Gibson, 49 Winchester has long specialized in songs that feel like they were carved rather than written, rough-grained, deeply human, and unafraid to stare straight at hard truths. With Gibson at the helm, the band, Bus Shelton (lead guitar), Chase Chafin (bass), Noah Patrick (pedal steel), Tim Hall (keys), and Justin Louthian (drums)  has crafted a musical identity rooted in Appalachian storytelling but wide open in sonic scope. That identity appears to expand even further on Change of Plans. Early buzz around the project points to a sonically adventurous collection that still keeps the band’s emotional core intact, vivid narratives, grounded characters, and the kind of melodic muscle that turns personal confession into communal catharsis. The upcoming single “Pardon Me” is expected to serve as the first window into that evolution, signaling both continuity and creative risk. For a group that has built its reputation on authenticity over algorithm, the phrase major label debut carries weight, but not compromise. If anything, Change of Plans sounds less like a pivot and more like a sharpening of intent: bigger canvas, same unfiltered pen. 49 Winchester has always written songs that feel like they come with dirt under their fingernails and laughter in the margins, grit, heart, and a flash of Appalachian humor braided together. Now, with a larger platform and a growing national spotlight, they’re poised to bring that perspective to an even wider audience. If the first taste is any indication, this “change of plans” may be exactly what 2026 country music ordered.

Eric Church - Johnny (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 25, 2025)

Eric Church has never been an artist who simply performs a song — he inhabits it. And with the newly released live version of his hard-hitting track “Johnny,” The Chief once again proves that some songs aren’t just meant to be played, they’re meant to be lived out loud in front of a crowd. Live recordings can be a gamble. Too often they feel overproduced, over-rehearsed, or weighed down by forced crowd moments and arena-sized cheese. But Church doesn’t fall into those traps. He never has. His live take on “Johnny” doesn’t polish the song, it sets it on fire. From the first note, the performance feels raw and unfiltered, driven by grit, tension, and Church’s unmistakable vocal authority. There’s a bite to his delivery here that cuts deeper than the studio version, a sense that the song isn’t just being revisited, but re-experienced in real time. The band pushes with muscular restraint, giving the track room to breathe while still hitting with hammer-like force when it matters most. Church has long built his reputation on the idea that the stage is sacred ground, a place where songs evolve, stretch, and sometimes completely transform. “Johnny” thrives in that environment. The live arrangement leans into the emotional weight of the lyrics, letting the story unfold with a heavier pulse and sharper edge. You can feel the crowd locked in, not just listening, but absorbing. What makes the performance stand out isn’t volume or spectacle, it’s conviction. Church sounds fully inside the song, delivering each line like it still has something urgent to say. That authenticity is what separates memorable live cuts from throwaway bonus tracks. This one won’t be thrown away. For longtime fans, this version of “Johnny” will feel like a collectible moment, the kind people return to years later to remember where they were when they first heard it. For newer listeners, it’s a powerful reminder of why Eric Church remains one of country music’s most commanding live storytellers. When The Chief steps to the mic, a song doesn’t just play. It happens.

Zach John King - Get To Drinkin'

There’s a certain kind of country song that doesn’t just soundtrack a night out, it narrates the exact moment the night starts lying to you. With his sharp new single “Get To Drinkin’,” Zach John King taps directly into that blurry emotional space where memory, regret, and whiskey start rewriting history in real time. King’s latest release doesn’t glorify the drink so much as it dissects the aftermath, the mental gymnastics that happen a few Jack and Cokes past clear judgment. It’s a clever, self-aware anthem built on a truth most country fans know well but rarely hear framed this honestly: sometimes the buzz doesn’t numb the pain, it edits the story. “Get To Drinkin’” centers on a familiar spiral. A broken heart. A guilty conscience. A barstool courtroom where the verdict keeps changing with every sip. In King’s telling, alcohol becomes less of a vice and more of a unreliable narrator. Bad memories turn golden. Old wounds look fixable. And the heart he knows he broke somehow starts to feel like it might still be waiting on him. It’s that tension, between what is and what we wish were true that gives the song its bite. Musically, the track rides a fun, modern country melody with a fresh, radio-ready edge. The production is crisp without being overcooked, pairing rhythmic swagger with enough emotional lift to keep the hook lodged in your head long after the last chorus fades. King delivers the vocal with a knowing charm, not begging for sympathy, not dodging blame, but leaning into the flawed humanity of the moment. That balance makes the track land harder than a standard heartbreak-in-a-bar-room singalong. With “Get To Drinkin’,” Zach John King continues to sharpen his lane as an artist who understands that modern country thrives on specificity, the exact drink, the exact lie we tell ourselves, the exact moment judgment slips. It’s catchy, clear-eyed, and cleverly written, the kind of song that proves his rise isn’t just fast, it’s earned.

Rhys Rutherford - Long Way

Rhys Rutherford knows exactly where the sweet spot lives in modern country, right at the intersection of restless nights, honest reflection, and melodies built for rolled-down windows. His new single, “Long Way,” lands squarely there, turning a simple idea into a sharply polished, feel-good statement about time, love, and the art of slowing down when it matters most. Built around the quietly cutting line, “living too fast and loving too slow,” the track doesn’t preach. It glides. Rutherford delivers the lyric with an easy confidence, letting the hook breathe instead of forcing it, which gives the sentiment weight without heaviness. It’s a tricky balance that many chase and few catch. Penned by Chris Lane, Daniel Ross, and ERNEST (Ernest Keith Smith), the songwriting pedigree shows. The structure is tight, the phrasing conversational, and the emotional entry point instantly accessible. But the performance is what gives the song its identity. Rutherford doesn’t oversell the moment, he coasts into it and that restraint is what makes the track stick. Production-wise, “Long Way” leans modern without losing its country footing. Breezy percussion, clean guitar textures, and a polished rhythmic backbone give the song forward motion, while the melody keeps it grounded in storytelling tradition. It’s fun country, yes, but not disposable country. There’s intention behind the ease. In a landscape crowded with big hooks and bigger volume, Rhys Rutherford takes a smarter route here. He doesn’t try to outrun the night, he stretches it. And in doing so, “Long Way” proves that sometimes the most memorable songs aren’t the loudest ones, they’re the ones that know exactly how long to linger.

The Jack Wharff Band - “A Month, A Week, A Day (With Solon Holt)”

The road is romantic in theory and ruthless in practice, a ribbon of neon nights, gas-station coffee, and applause that fades faster than the taillights ahead. For The Jack Wharff Band, that tension between calling and cost sits at the center of their newest release, “A Month, A Week, A Day (With Solon Holt)” a tender, time-worn meditation on distance, devotion, and the math of missing someone. Teaming up with rising singer-songwriter Solon Holt, the up-and-coming Country/Americana outfit delivers a track that doesn’t just talk about life on the road, it feels like it was written in the quiet hour after a long drive, when the adrenaline is gone and the loneliness clocks in. Built on an organic, sonically textured foundation, the song leans into restraint rather than spectacle. Acoustic textures and lived-in tones carry the emotional weight, leaving space for the story to breathe. The arrangement never overreaches; instead, it mirrors the emotional push-and-pull of its narrative, steady, reflective, and quietly devastating. What makes “A Month, A Week, A Day” land is its refusal to glamorize the grind. There are no cinematic tour-bus myths here, just the emotional tab that comes due when passion demands presence somewhere else. It’s a working musician’s love song, written not from the stage but from the spaces between stages. With this release, The Jack Wharff Band continues to sharpen their identity in the Americana-country lane, story-forward, melody-driven, and emotionally fluent. And with Solon Holt alongside them, they’ve crafted a collaboration that feels less like a strategic pairing and more like a shared truth. Because sometimes the hardest miles aren’t the ones you drive, they’re the ones you count.

Russell Dickerson - The Roses 

Russell Dickerson, the pride of Tennessee and a mainstay of Music City’s contemporary country scene, is showing fans that he’s more than just a chart-topping hitmaker. His latest release, “The Roses,” unveils a softer, introspective side of the RD Party that highlights the depth of his artistry and reminds us why he’s not a one-trick pony. Co-written with Hardy, Chase McGill, and Jordan Schmidt, “The Roses” is an intimate, piano-driven love story that finds Dickerson stepping out from behind the bright lights and into the quiet spaces of vulnerability. Front and center at the keys, he delivers a nuanced vocal performance that makes every lyric feel lived-in, every moment tenderly real. What makes “The Roses” resonate is the way it balances vulnerability with confidence. Dickerson reflects on his past ambitions, “Some men were made / To make a name / To wind up in some history book and hall of fame”only to contrast them with the profound fulfillment he’s found in love. The song isn’t just a ballad; it’s a statement of identity, a snapshot of the artist as both a dreamer and a man in full. For fans familiar with Dickerson’s energetic, arena-ready anthems, “The Roses” is a refreshing pivot. It’s proof that he can flex his Music City muscle not just through catchy hooks, but through subtlety, emotion, and masterful musicianship. By the time the song closes, it’s clear: Russell Dickerson isn’t chasing fame alone, he’s crafting moments that matter, and inviting us to sit in them alongside him. With “The Roses,” Dickerson reminds the country music world that there’s artistry in intimacy, and that sometimes, the strongest statement is a gentle one played on a piano.

Kaleb Sanders - Reimagined EP

Kaleb Sanders isn’t repainting old songs, he’s rewiring them. With his new three-song EP Reimagined, the Red Street Records country riser takes a deliberate step away from studio polish and radio-ready shine, choosing instead to spotlight the bones of his songwriting. The project delivers stripped-back versions of three fan-favorites, “Heartbreak Carousel,” “Marlboro Man,” and “Roadwork,” but it’s the latter that emerges as the emotional anchor of the set, revealing a deeper gravity beneath its original release. In an era where bigger often passes for better, Reimagined is built on restraint. Acoustic textures replace full-band force. Space replaces spectacle. And Sanders’ voice, textured, unguarded, and unhurried, moves to the front of the room. The result is less performance, more conversation. Rather than chasing momentum with something louder or flashier, Sanders slows the frame rate. He trusts the songs to stand on their own legs, and they do. Reimagined positions Sanders as an artist increasingly confident in his craft, one willing to revisit his catalog not for nostalgia, but for clarity. These versions don’t replace the originals; they reveal them. Sometimes the rebuild tells you more than the blueprint ever could.

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