HARDY ‘COUNTRY! COUNTRY!’ – Album Review
HARDY’s new album, COUNTRY! COUNTRY! is out now, September 26th on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.
For HARDY, country music has always been a focal point. And while the megatalented singer-songwriter has experimented with other sounds, most notably on 2024’s rock-laden QUIT!, he’s going back to his roots. On COUNTRY! COUNTRY!, out now, HARDY mixes traditional country instrumentation with sharp, clever lyricism for a record that feels authentically his.
“I just missed it,” HARDY reveals in a statement. “I missed my community. My peers. Plus, I love country music. I moved to town to write country songs. Going 10 years of writing 100+ songs a year, it was a nice palette cleanser to take a step away from that. Now I’m back. I’m fresh and ready to get right back into it.”
Produced by longtime collaborator Joey Moi, the twenty-track album covers everything from love and loss to dogs and hometown pride. From the opening chords of the title track to the reflective closer “Everybody Does,” HARDY invites listeners on a journey through all things country.
While the album still includes the raspy growl and driving guitars that were prevalent on QUIT!, there’s a more authentic country twang present here. “Favorite Country Song” is an immediate standout, an homage to the country songs that raised him. Namedropping everything from “Summertime” to “My Maria” to “Country Boy Can Survive” to “Sinners Like Me,” it’s evident that HARDY’s inspirations are as vast and diverse as his own catalogue.
On “Bro Country,” he nods to his past and the current state of the genre, the lyrics reading like a letter to the long lost art of the ‘bro country’ subgenre. “Some of y’all may not know this, but I started my career in Nashville as a songwriter, writing for my buddies like FGL, Morgan Wallen, Cole Swindell, Chris Lane, etc.” He says. “I know my way around a bro country song and I owe a lot to that era. But the vibe in country music has shifted lately, and I wrote a song about it.”
On songs like “I’d Go Crazy,” “Luckiest Man Alive” and “Girl with a Gun,” HARDY flexes his skills as a songwriter, embracing the simple things in life on “Luckiest” and promising eternal fidelity on “Girl.”
“Car That Drove You Away” offers another clever lyric, and is the only song he’s ever put on an album that he didn’t write. “I knew that I couldn’t beat it,” HARDY shares, “I knew when I heard it that it was one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time and there’s nothing on this record that could compete with that.”
Elsewhere, HARDY spends a lot of time reflecting on life and family throughout the record. “Bottomland” shows a stripped and vulnerable man, while “Country in Me” and “Buck on the Wall” reflect on his upbringing. “Take the Country and Run” finds him choosing small-town life over wealth, and “Gun to My Head” turns into a euphoric declaration of country pride.
Among the album’s most powerful moments are “Dog Years,” told from a dog’s perspective, and “Goodbye,” where HARDY grapples with the inevitability of losing the person he loves most. Both show his rare ability to balance vulnerability with grit.
Fans of HARDY’s more rowdy side are also in for a treat. “Keep It Country” and “Who Don’t” are tailor-made for the stage, redneck anthems that bring twang and fire in equal measure.
“Bedrooms in the Sky” is another highlight, pairing HARDY with Stephen Wilson Jr. With incredible guitar work and finger-picking, the pair harmonize on the celebration of country music.
“Where somebody’s gonna learn how to hunt // Somebody’s gonna learn how to fish // Somebody’s gonna pray for rain, then raise some grain// To feed a couple barefoot kids// You can build your bedrooms in the sky // You can swallow up my little town // But when the shit hits the fan //And the world’s just land // Country’s gonna come back around”
“Y’all Need Jesus” offers a moment of levity as HARDY snaps back at those who mock him online, musing “Y’all need Jesus and a Willie Nelson song, Ride that high horse somewhere you can leave my country ass alone, Y’all keep throwin’ stones, I’m gonna keep on droppin’ deer Y’all need Jesus and I need a beer.”
The LP ends with “We’re All Gonna Die” and “Everybody Does,” both of which have him speaking the hard truth that no one is immortal. On the former, he encourages listeners to seize the day, while on the latter, he reflects on the fact that, despite all our differences, we’re all eventually going to leave this world.
With COUNTRY! COUNTRY!, HARDY returns to the sound that started it all. It’s raw, reflective, rowdy, and rooted in his Mississippi upbringing. It’s a collection that only he could make, and it’s full of contenders for your future “Favorite Country Song.”
Country Swag Picks:
- Favorite Country Song
- Bro Country
- Bedroom in the Sky
- Car That Drove You Away
- Country Country
COUNTRY! COUNTRY! Track List:
- Country Country
- Favorite Country Song
- Bro Country with ERNEST
- Luckiest Man Alive
- Car That Drove You Away
- Girl With A Gun
- Buck On The Wall
- I’d Go Crazy Too
- Take The Country And Run
- Goodbye
- Bedrooms In The Sky with. Stephen Wilson Jr.
- Bottomland
- Who Don’t
- Country In Me
- Gun To My Head
- Keep It Country
- Y’all Need Jesus
- Dog Years
- We’re All Gonna Die
- Everybody Does
HARDY shares new album, ‘COUNTRY! COUNTRY!,’ out now on all streaming platforms.
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COUNTRY! COUNTRY! 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.
