Bailey Zimmerman Teases New Song, ‘Holy Smokes’; When Will He Release It?

It seems we could be getting a new album from Bailey Zimmerman sooner than expected, with the Illinois native having now released his first song of 2024, ‘Holy Smokes’.

‘Holy Smokes’ is the same song as the tantalising 15-second teaser Bailey Zimmerman unexpectedly uploaded on Spotify in early January, which featured the singer-songwriter's atmospheric vocals without any accompanying instrumental.

In a later TikTok video, Bailey revealed more of the song to his followers, with the artist's signature rasp combining with a pensive piano riff and ambient production.

Fans are celebrating the fact that the full track is now out, with the simmering hook intensifying as it reaches the titular lyric (“Hell of a rush / Falling in love / Lighting up those holy smokes”).

Bailey croons wistfully, “Well I was only scared of the devil and her dad / So we'd park somewhere we knew they'd never look / Naw, I'd never seen nothin’ like her / Playin’ with the flame of her momma's lighter / Naw, it wasn't very long ‘fore I was hooked”.

The ‘Religiously’ hitmaker goes on to recall the steamy nights they enjoyed together under the innocent guise of the preacher's parking space, “Heaven was a preacher's spot in that first church parking lot / Her hangin’ onto me like the cross on the rearview does”.

‘Holy Smokes’ continues the use of the spiritual imagery that pervaded Bailey Zimmerman's debut full-length album, Religiously, as a means of portraying his romantic experiences.

‘Holy Smokes’ is undoubtedly another earworm, with the song shaping up to become Bailey's latest No. 1, following ‘Religiously’, which topped the Country Radio charts in September 2023.

Bailey has a track record of teasing snippets and clips before releasing the full song, as he did on a number of occasions ahead of Religiously. Thankfully, though, unlike some of his contemporaries, the tracks he shares across his socials are almost always given an official release before too long - as was the case with ‘Holy Smokes’.

We think - and hope - Bailey is gearing up for another album rollout, with the sense of anticipation remaining high. ‘Holy Smokes’ would make a brilliant title-track, and would follow on perfectly - both thematically and sonically - from Religiously.

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