Dylan Schneider: ‘Bad Decisions’ – EP Review

Signed to BBR Music Group/ Wheelhouse Records, country newcomer Dylan Schneider has already amassed quite the following. With over 1.8M + fans and over 340M streams, the rising star has toured with Morgan Wallen, Kane Brown, Florida Georgia Line, and more.

With a knack for toeing the line between pop and country, the singer-songwriter’s new EP, Bad Decisions, does that expertly. “Somebody like me, having so much that I’m influenced by and so much that I listen to, I’m always finding new doors that need to be opened,” he explains in a statement.

“I want to write songs that tell stories, and that’s what I’m excited about,” he explains. “I feel like people are going to relate to it and feel connected that we’ve been through the same things – growing up, growing apart, heartbreak, I want to show where I’ve been and where my head is now, and that this new music is just a taste of what’s to come.”

On Bad Decisions, the Indiana native’s new EP, Schneider does just that. The title track is a seductive mid-tempo that finds him in a toxic but irresistible relationship, unable to quit a former flame.

“Girl, we’re good at making bad decisions // We go up in smoke the second we start kissing // They tell me I’m crazy, baby, I don’t listen // And I just can’t let you go // You’re so good at blurring out my vision // You hit me harder when the whiskey kicks in // We both know there’ll be consequences // But, girl, we’re good at making bad // Good at making bad decisions”

Clear highlights on the EP include the romantic ode to shooting your shot, “Buy That Girl A Beer” and “Carhartt,” a unique take on a one night stand that finds him down a hoodie. The latter finds him admitting that his shirt “looked a whole lot better on her than it did on me,” while “Beer” may be the pep-talk that led to the events of “Carhartt.” On “Buy That Girl a Beer,” he wonders if a girl at the bar could be the love of his life, encouraging himself to buy her a beer so he won’t look back and wonder what could’ve been.

On the brooding,  Jason Aldean-esque “Ruin This Town,” he laments a breakup that finds him unable to enjoy his hometown, while “Ain’t Missing You” has him cleverly promising his girl’s ex that she’s certainly moved on..for the better, with him.

The EP concludes with the vulnerable and autobiographical, “Daddy Drinks Whiskey,” a poignant look at the change in his father once he picks up a drinking habit. 

“But now daddy drinks whiskey doubles // Hear mama talking ’bout the troubles // That we’re going through // Don’t know what to do or how to fix it // Yeah, daddy gets mad, daddy slams doors // Daddy says things he never said before //Yeah, I wonder if he’s too drunk to even miss me // ‘Cause now daddy drinks whiskey”

While Schneider may be making some Bad Decisions on his new EP, giving it a listen is definitely a good decision.

Bad Decisions Track List:

1. Bad Decisions
2. Carhartt
3. Buy That Girl A Beer
4. Ruin This Town
5. Ain’t Missin’ You
6. Daddy Drinks Whiskey

Country Swag Picks:

1. Bad Decisions
2. Buy That Girl a Beer
3. Carhartt