Best New Country Songs

It’s finally Friday, which means it's time for another big helping of Holler’s picks of the best new country and americana songs released this week.

It’s finally time for Post Malone and Morgan Wallen to release the duet they’ve been teasing for the last few months too. We first got a tip off of that ‘I Had Some Help’ was coming way back in March and we’ve been waiting patiently for the pair to put it out ever since. The song is the first to be released from Post Malone’s forthcoming country project, and earns the singer his first ever Best New Country cover!

Postie and Morgan aren’t the only pair coupling up this week. Orville Peck teams up with the Gator Boys themselves for ‘The Hurtin’ Kind.’ Taken from the first instalment of his new duets project Stampede, as well as Midland, the 7 track album features guest appearances from Elton John, Allison Russell, Noah Cyrus, Bo Cuaron, Nathaniel Rateliff and Willie Nelson on ‘Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other,’ which came out last month.

Kelsey Waldon gets together with Isaac Gibson from 49 Winchester on a reworking of the old bluegrass standard, ‘I Only Exist.’ Written by Jimmie Stanley and Joyce Morris, the song was originally recorded by Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys back in 1969, and features on Waldon’s new album, There’s Always A Song, out today, which also features collaborations with Margo Price, Amanda Shires and S.G. Goodman.

It’s a big week for new albums too, but in even bigger news, Scotty McCreery has some new press pics!

Following his induction into the Grand Ole Opry, Scotty McCreery releases his brand new album, Rise and Fall, today and he’s had some new photos taken to celebrate. Produced by McCreery’s longtime production team of Frank Rogers, Derek Wells, and Aaron Eshuis, the album features 13 tracks that find him exploring themes of heartbreak, rowdy nights, nostalgia, faith, newfound joy, fatherhood, and enduring love, resulting in a project full of insightful storytelling that includes his singles ‘Cab in a Solo,’ ‘Can’t Pass the Bar’ and ‘Lonely.’

“I know every artist says it,” McCreery shared, “but this is truly my favorite album I’ve made so far. I wanted to create an album that reflected the music I grew up on and wasn’t chasing trends. So, I brought several of my songwriting buddies to the mountains of North Carolina to sit down and write a full-on country album that told a story, start to finish, and spoke to my soul. We’ve been performing most of the album live on the road and the response from the audiences has been overwhelming.”

The North Carolina native knows all too well there’s a rhythm to life and a cycle of ups and downs. And right now, he’s on the upswing, so we’ve included the suitably reflective ‘Fall of Summer’ on our playlist today.

“I feel like we’re on the rise now, but I’ve fallen pretty low as well,” McCreery admits. “I learned from every little part of that, and it helped me to know who I was as a person – let alone an artist. The rises and the falls helped craft these songs. They made this album what it is.”

Florida Georgia Line know all about the ups and downs of life too. In the same week that they announce that their FGL house bar in Nashville will be closing – to be replaced by Lainey Wilson’s new Bell Bottoms Up bar - Brian Kelley delivers his much anticipated debut album, Tennessee Truth, and he’s got so much tea to spill he should open a coffee house.

Produced by Dan Huff, the albums testifies to the restorative power of rural living, everlasting love and old friendships across 12 super-sized dash pounding, country rock anthems that drive as hard as a 12,000 pound monster truck tearing up the dirt. We’ve included the opening track, ‘Acres,’ in our Best New Country playlist this week. Buckle up and brace yourself.

Elsewhere on this week’s Best New Country playlist, Angel White releases his debut project GHOST OF THE WEST: VOLUME I and we’ve got the swoon-worthy ‘2733’ on our playlist today, plus CMAT returns with ‘Aw, Shoot,’ a blustering boot-stomping alt-pop country banger inspired by the singer’s sojourn in France, three bottles of wine and her own Emily in Paris moment.

The Country Pop Banger of the Week award goes to Danielle Bradbery though for ‘Wedding or a Funeral,’ a song which sounds like a heavenly mix of Carrie Underwood and Ariana Grande. Written by Emily Weisband, Michael Ollin Lotten and Josh Miller, the song will be hard relatable for anyone stuck in a relationship rut right now.

“When you're stuck in a toxic relationship, you can hit a breaking point where you're no longer sad - you're just angry,” she explains about the song. “It represents a moment in time when I hit my limit and had to let go. Anger took over and I no longer had to chip away at myself for the sake of someone else. After giving so much of myself emotionally, it was freeing to know that I didn't have a care in the world anymore. If this person isn't my future, it's time to put them in the past.”

Emily Weisband is behind another of this week’s best new songs. She’s one of the songwriters on the brilliant ‘Back Pew,’ along with Lily Rose, Andy Albert and Paul DiGiovanni. A standout from Lily Rose’s new 6 song EP, Runnin’ Outta Time, ‘Back Pew’ unravels the internal struggle of walking into a Sunday service covered in heartbreak. She transparently navigates the very heavy emotional tilt of what it takes to even step back into a church, willingly surrounding yourself with the slightly judgmental, overly joyful type while fighting with the man upstairs for letting you feel so much pain.

By using a commonly difficult space to draw the listener in through familiarity, Lily spotlights a turning point moment when you do something that you never thought you could, fully celebrating the motivational aspect of taking your first step toward healing.

We’ve also got new songs from Georgia Webster, The War And Treaty, Jake Kohn, Thomas Rhett, Chase Rice, Tigirlily Gold, Kylie Morgan, Reba McEntire, Drake White, Wade Bowen and another one from Carly Pearce’s forthcoming album, Hummingbird, due out next month.

A self-proclaimed country music purist, Pearce’s musical sensibilities are on full display with 'fault line' as she delivers a traditional country groove and clever lyrics penned alongside Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally, Jordan Reynolds.

“Some of my favourite songs were in the era of Tammy Wynette and George Jones,” said Pearce. “This is my take on writing one of those classic, ‘I'm gonna rip your head off’ country songs. The playful angst in this song makes it one of my favourite moments on the record.”

If you’re looking for something to really brighten up your Friday though then can we suggest Willow Avalon’s wonderful new single ‘Hey There, Dolly,’ a cheeky ode to the Queen of Country that nods and winks in all the right place and puts a playful, refreshingly indie spin on classic country.

Check out this week's new country song releases and listen to the full playlist below:

1. 1.

   I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen)

   Post Malone

2. 2.

   The Hurtin' Kind

   Orville Peck and Midland

3. 3.

   fault line

   Carly Pearce

4. 4.

   Fall of Summer

   Scotty McCreery

5. 5.

   Acres

   Brian Kelley

6. 6.

   Wedding or a Funeral

   Danielle Bradbery

7. 7.

   2733

   Angel White

8. 8.

   Back Pew

   Lily Rose

9. 9.

   Hey There, Dolly

   Willow Avalon

10. 10.

    I Only Exist (feat. Isaac Gibson)

    Kelsey Waldon

11. 11.

    Aw, Shoot!

    CMAT

12. 12.

    Damn Hands

    Kiely Connell

13. 13.

    Leads Me Home

    The War And Treaty

14. 14.

    Where Do We Go From Here?

    Jake Kohn

15. 15.

    Beautiful As You

    Thomas Rhett

16. 16.

    Fireside

    Chase Rice

17. 17.

    Leroy

    Tigirlily Gold

18. 18.

    Scratching the Surface (Mama's Song)

    Kylie Morgan

19. 19.

    I Can't

    Reba McEntire

20. 20.

    This Ain't a Breakup (feat. Nightly)

    Georgia Webster

21. 21.

    Stay By My Side

    Silverada

22. 22.

    Blonde

    Avery Anna

23. 23.

    Clementine

    Yung Gravy

24. 24.

    10lbs of Shit

    Drake White

25. 25.

    Not Today

    Mitchell Tenpenny

26. 26.

    Built By Broken Hearts

    Matt Stell

27. 27.

    Nothin But Texas

    Wade Bowen

28. 28.

    Baby Angel

    Lou Ridley

29. 29.

    My Little Anchor

    Angus & Julia Stone

30. 30.

    One Soul at a Time

    Arlo McKinley

31. 31.

    Ugly Man's Wife

    Swamp Dogg

32. 32.

    Feel Like Hell Today

    Cooper Alan

33. 33.

    Drift Away

    A Thousand Horses

34. 34.

    Sore

    Aidan Canfield

35. 35.

    The Hard Way

    Robert Vincent

36. 36.

    Scared To Start (feat. Joy Oladokun)

    Michael Macargi

37. 37.

    Breeze

    Megan Knight

38. 38.

    NYC

    Josh Kerr and Lauren Weintraub

39. 39.

    Over Getting Over You

    Matt Lang

40. 40.

    Daytona To Me

    Ray Fulcher

41. 41.

    Call Me Up

    Dillon James

42. 42.

    5x7

    Jennifer Hart

43. 43.

    Lyin in Bed (feat. Kaylee Bell)

    River Town Saints

44. 44.

    Family Tree

    Ryan Kinder

45. 45.

    Daisies

    Brandon Davis

46. 46.

    One Of These Days

    Whey Jennings

47. 47.

    Obligatory Braggadoccio

    Gangstagrass

48. 48.

    Old Dutch

    Bonny Light Horseman

49. 49.

    Let it Go and Let it Be

    Eleni Drake

50. 50.

    Betty Baker

    Beehive Cathedral

Be sure to subscribe to Best New Country, listen above and follow Holler on your favourite digital streaming platform.

For more of the finest country playlists from Holler, see below: