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The time has come for the mockingbird (and the crow) to spread his wings!
One of the genre's leading country-rockers, HARDY has unveiled his first single from a forthcoming album, marking the end of his celebrated the mockingbird & THE CROW era.
Titled 'QUIT!!', the song opens with a static-like hum, building in intensity as the Mississippi native's voice rings strong and clear.
Talking about how someone wrote "quit" on a napkin during his early years of playing for tips as a hopeful singer-songwriter, it goes on to chronicle his long and fruitful journey, from Florida Georgia Line first getting his name out into the ether and Morgan Wallen featuring him on some of hit songs, to penning a slew of modern day country hits and racking up awards.
Only clocking in at 2 minutes and 45 seconds – and only a minute and a half of that being filled with lyrics – the song shows a new side of HARDY. Where the mockingbird & THE CROW was like a high-octane shot of screams and muddy guitar riffs, 'QUIT!!' finds him falling more into the rap lane, with the entirety of the song taking the form of spoken word.
On Thursday afternoon, before the surprise drop, HARDY posted on his Instagram story "Sometimes holding a grudge is a good thing..." While at the time that seemed cryptic, it's not obvious that he was referring to the poor guy who originally told him to quit all those years ago.
In the song's outro he states: "So before you choose hate, get to know a guy / He might end up a poet that was born to fly / He might end up a man of the people / Damn, what a scene, a redneck glorified / With a stack of awards on a napkin / A bored little bastard wrote to try to warn a guy / Maybe I'm just petty / 'Cause they're just metal / Wait, then again, so am I".
As though the new song wasn't starting off the year hot enough, HARDY followed it up with the unveiling of his first stretch of 2024 tour dates.
The Quit!! Tour will lift off on May 30 with stops all around the U.S. and a single date in Toronto, Canada. He'll be bringing a star-studded array of guests along for the ride, including Kip Moore, Travis Denning, Ella Langley and Holler favorite Stephen Wilson Jr.
The new release and tour announcement signals the end of the mockingbird & THE CROW era, which was the soundtrack of HARDY's banner year in 2023.
Earning several CMA, ACM and CMT nominations, as well as quite a few wins, the dichotomous, genre-blurring album produced several massive hits for the decorated entertainer, including 'wait in the truck', 'SOLD OUT', 'TRUCK BED', 'JACK' and more.
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