Ella Langley: ‘hungover’ – Debut Album Review

Ella Langley releases her debut album, hungover, out now, August 2nd on all streaming platforms. Listen to the brand new project here.

With a uniquely honeyed tone and an uncanny vulnerability, Ella Langley has been routinely labeled as one to watch in country music. With the release of her debut full-length album, hungover, out now, she proves why.

The collection features fourteen new tracks, all written or co-written by the Alabama native, alongside Nashville heavyweights like Will Bundy, Brett James, Rhett Akins, Laura Veltz, and more.

“This has been my dream for my whole entire life, so releasing my very first record is a really good feeling, and I’m so proud of it,” Langley says of the Sawgod Records/Columbia LP. “Before this record was even finished, I remember driving around in my car listening to ‘Hungover,’ and it hit me that it was the perfect title to encapsulate this era of my life and all the feelings I’ve poured into the songs. There’s a lot of different ways you can be hungover, but Lord knows every hangover hurts.”

That hurt is a prominent theme throughout the collection, weaving its way in different ways through Langley’s emotive grit and soulful sound. Her lyrics are smart and clever, telling incredibly vulnerable stories in a way that’s both poignant and triumphant.

The titular track is an immediate example of Langley’s prowess as both a songwriter and a vocalist, her stunning tone punctuating the mournful ballad that burns with the ache of a toxic relationship. Over bluesy electric guitars, her soulful vocals cascade through the ode to last call mistakes and the subsequent hangover that comes the next morning.

“Yeah I’m hungover // Still a long way from sober // Dammit I’m hurtin’ // This morning I’m learning // How much that Bourbon in your kiss don’t lead to closure // And yeah I’m hungover // This on again, off again is takin’ its toll // I try but I can’t seem to tell myself no”

“Love You Tonight” tackles a similar theme, as she deals with the aftermath of “doing what I swore I wouldn’t do.” It’s a modern day retelling of Lee Ann Womack’s “I May Hate Myself in the Morning,” as she proclaims, “Gonna love you tonight, gonna hate me tomorrow.”

Heartache songs are foremost on the album, but no two are alike. “I Blame the Bar” is one of the most unique lyrical breakup tracks in recent memory, blaming the place of the meet cute for her heartbreak, as opposed to the guy who did the breaking. Meanwhile, “Better Be Tough” is an almost raucous pop-rock-tinted kiss off to a cheating boyfriend that shows Langley isn’t taking a guy’s BS.

On “Paint the Town Blue,” she’s drinking to forget her pain, accepting that she needs to drown her sorrows to truly move on, while “Cowboy Friends” finds her moving up and moving on to get over a terrible ex. The song finds her channeling hints of Miranda Lambert meets Kacey Musgraves, with its unapologetic lyrics as she looks past one bad boy to the next. “So saddle up and ride away, It ain’t like it was love anyways,” She sings teasingly. “I won’t have no trouble rounding up the next when this ends, I’ve got me more than a few cowboy friends.”

Langley is sunny and optimistic on tunes like “Nicotine,” which finds her looking for a new love to be her new addiction, while “You Look Like You Love Me” is a clear stylistic standout on the album. Featuring fellow Alabama native Riley Green, the viral release finds the pair mixing spoken verses with a singsong chorus on the uniquely timeless country track.

“Girl Who Drank Wine” and “Closest to Heaven” are classic country story songs, with the former a smoky-bar Western that tells the tale of a one night stand where the girl walks away with a cowboy’s heart. Meanwhile, “Heaven” provides an especially ethereal moment, recalling the kind of eternal love between her grandparents that is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.

Three of the album’s most special tracks come late in the album, with “Monsters” finding her both utterly  vulnerable and relatable. On the introspective track, she battles the “real monsters” living inside her head, dealing with self-doubt, painful memories, and being her own worst critic.

“Inside my head I over-analyze // Let my worst critic criticize // Every last mistake I ever made // Every woulda, coulda, shoulda, on replay // I’ve got some real monsters // Livin’ inside my head // Memories I’d like to leave // Shoved up under my bed // Caught up in a bad dream // Don’t even have to sleep // To see every regret, take it from me // I’ve got some real monsters // Livin’ inside my head”

The album’s final two tracks are both sparse and acoustic, with “Cowgirl Don’t Cry” shining as an ode to a girl who has been numbed by heartbreak. Finally, “Broken In” closes the album in a stunning manner, her voice on full display as she sings that oftentimes, things are better when they’ve been used. Ranging from horses to trucks to hearts and hands, things are just better when they’ve got some miles and some scars.

For Ella Langley, that is true of the music on hungover, each song showing pain and scars that ultimately led to something beautiful.

hungover Tracklist:

1. Hungover (Ella Langley/Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins)
2. I Blame the Bar (Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Chris LaCorte/Meg McCree)
3. You Look Like You Love Me Ft. Riley Green (Ella Langley/Aaron Ratiere/Riley Green)
4. Nicotine (Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Zachary Kale/Jon Nite)
5. Love You Tonight (Ella Langley/Will Bundy/Lydia Vaughan)
6. Better Be Tough (Ella Langley/Will Bundy/Brett James/Erik Dylan)
7. Paint the Town Blue (Ella Langley/Will Bundy/Rhett Akins/Travis Wood)
8. Cowboy Friends (Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Lydia Vaughan/Austin Goodloe)
9. Girl Who Drank Wine (Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Johnny Clawson)
10. Monsters (Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Tristyn Hunter Wolkonowski)
11. People Change (Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Laura Veltz/Austin Goodloe)
12. Closest to Heaven (Ella Langley/Smith Ahnquist/Johnny Clawson)
13. Cowgirl Don’t Cry (Acoustic) (Ella Langley/Jordan Fletcher)
14. Broken in (Acoustic) (Ella Langley/Ian Christian/Jordan Fletcher)

Country Swag Picks:

1. Hungover
2. You Look Like You Love Me with Riley Green
3. Cowgirl Don’t Cry
4. Monsters

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hungover is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.