Party anthems, cowboys, love songs and letting go are among the themes country music explores this week in its new music offerings. Parker McCollum, Kristian Bush, Alexis Wilkins, Ian Munsick and Levi Hummon are among the artists who released new songs this week. Hear the songs and see what the artists have to say about their music in their words in this week’s Roundup.
The Cadillac Three featuring Elvie Shane, “Hillbilly”: “On the surface, ‘Hillbilly’ is a party anthem, but it hits differently than many of our songs because we’re encouraging some introspection with this one,” TC3 frontman Jaren Johnston explains. “We’ve been known to have a good time most of the time, so it’s certainly not us trying to tell anyone how to live their life, but it’s a song about knowing where the line is and when you’ve gone too far. Sometimes you can live on the edge a little too long and you need to come back down from the high.”
“I’ve been a fan of The Cadillac Three since before that was their name. So, when I got the invitation to join them on the road for a weekend of writing, the answer was easy,” Shane says. “’Hillbilly’ was born the second day on the road. To me, it’s a touch of TC3 roots and a lot of where I come from. It’s a cautionary tale about how easily you can fall into the trap of substance abuse coming from small rural towns like as the one I live in now. I believe it has the right amount of grit and rock n roll to reach the intended audience. And I’m so proud to be on a song with a group I’m truly a huge fan of.”
Ian Munsick, “Dig”: “Melodies have always come to me at the most inconvenient times,” Munsick says. “In the middle of class, on airplanes and even in my sleep. Now, I’m not complaining – I just wish the universe would choose more opportune moments to strike creative lightning into my brain. A couple years ago, I dreamed up the verse melody for ‘Dig’ and, unlike most of the music I dream, I remembered it as soon as I woke up. I immediately reached for my phone and recorded it so it wouldn’t escape into my subconscious fog. I knew it was one of the best melodical phrases I had written, and I’m grateful the universe let me hang onto it.”
Kristian Bush, “Already Yours”: “It’s strange that we don’t have names for certain feelings even with all of the words we have in the English language,” Bush says. “But the feeling you get when you realize someone you have just met feels like someone you’ve known for lifetimes is the feeling this entire song is about.”
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