SmithField: ‘New Town’ – EP Review

SmithField’s new EP, New Town, featuring six new tracks by the duo behind “Hey Whiskey”, is out now, June 16th, on all streaming platforms. Take a look below as we dig a little deeper into the new music.

With three years behind them since the release of their hit single, “Hey Whiskey,” country duo SmithField is back with a new EP, New Town, out today, June 16. Made up of six new original tracks, the pair of Jennifer Fielder and Trey Smith are determined to reintroduce country music fans to the female-male country duo. Interestingly, it’s been over a decade since a mixed-gender pair truly broke out in Nashville, but based on the songs on New Town, Smithfield should be the next twosome to do so.

Both Fielder and Smith grew up in Waxahachie, Texas, with grandparents who went to high school together. The pair first met at age ten but took different musical paths until their journeys crossed a decade ago when SmithField was born. Unlike other duos, the pair established a true partnership with neither member serving as the group’s lead singer or songwriter. Instead, they work together, trading harmonies and vocals to tell two unique sides to every story.

For the pair, New Town tells a unique tale of love and relationships. “Each track tells its own story,” says Smith in a statement. “But the entire EP weaves together to form a larger narrative about relationships. It’s all about the ups, the downs, and the persistence needed to fight through whatever comes at you. That’s our story.”

SmithField’s story begins here with the EP’s title track, a dreamy ode to falling in love in your hometown, allowing it to come alive again. Somehow, everything that was once familiar has become new through the lens of falling in love, and it’s a magical experience. “These stomping grounds have come alive,” They harmonize. “Since you and I // Became you and I.”

On “Something Sexy,” the pair does one of our favorite things in music, name-dropping other famous artists and songs as they embrace the rich romantic history of country music. Although the pair may be “too country for some Barry White,” they mention Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Chris Young by name. A few of the other songs they mention include “I Melt,” “Amazed,” “Raining on Sunday,” “Come a Little Closer,” and “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” among other romantic classics.

On “I’ll Never Stop,” the pair puts out the type of sultry anthem they sang about in “Something Sexy.” Although it’s a song about love lost, it stands out with its soulful, bluesy style. “Sometimes I hate // That I can’t let you go // And sometimes I can’t stand the thought // Of losing your memory,” they admit on the show-stopping ballad. “Oh I may be done loving you // But I’ll never stop.”

While “I’ll Never Stop” and “Burning Wings” are songs about love lost, the collection’s closer “We’ll Figure It Out” and “Sunday Best” are more hopeful. On the latter, they celebrate the everyday imperfections of true love. It’s not about putting on a fabricated facade, but embracing those times when your partner is far from perfect.  Meanwhile, on “We’ll Figure It Out,” SmithField muses that “loving is easy, but it’s the living that’s hard.”

SmithField’s New Town EP feels a lot like having a conversation with friends, which according to Fielder, was the goal “We’re big coffee people,” she says. “Whenever we perform a song, it’s like we’re grabbing a cup of coffee together, and the audience gets to be the third person who sits down with us and hears the whole conversation. They get to hear both sides. They get to understand how both parties feel. You don’t get that perspective from a solo artist. We’re opening up our hearts from both sides of the story, and the listener gets to hear our coffee talk.”

On their new EP, SmithField truly embraces every side of relationships, from the beautiful to the messy to the complicated. New Town is honest. It’s real, and it’s musically a truly great story from start to finish.

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