Why There's More Pressure on Luke Combs’ Next Era of Music Than You Might Think

Luke Combs is closing out another blockbuster year.

He's headlined some of the biggest multi-genre festivals in North America, collaborated with a range of high-profile names such as Alex Warren and BigXthaPlug and been honoured with another dizzying array of awards and RIAA Certifications.

So it might sound a little absurd to suggest that there's any kind of pressure riding on Combs’ newly unveiled The Prequel EP, which arrives this Friday, October 3rd.

But this three-song EP, which serves as a preview of the North Carolina native's new album - arriving in “early 2026” - will go a long way to showing us what we can expect from Combs’ first record since his stripped-back concept project, Fathers & Sons.

Fathers & Sons was hailed by critics for Combs’ personal songwriting and his courage in dropping an album that he wanted to craft, rather than one geared towards streams.

Ultimately, as expected, it was indeed Combs’ least commercially successful album to date. While you can dismiss this, because he himself repeatedly outlined that it wasn't meant to be that kind of album, it's worth highlighting that both of Fathers & Sons’ predecessors, Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old, failed to emulate the success of his blockbuster What You See Is What You Get opus back in 2019, too.

WYSIWYG spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Growin’ Up reached No. 2 - suffering from the fact that it dropped shortly after Drake's club-ready Honestly, Nevermind - and then Gettin’ Old debuted at No. 4. Fathers & Sons peaked at No. 6.

You can brush this chart decline aside and point to the fact that Combs is still one of the biggest names in country music, but at the end of the day, there's no denying that he has his sights set on being the leading figure of the genre. With Morgan Wallen spending 10+ weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for each of his past three albums and obliterating cross-genre records with every new body of work, we need another undeniable, goalpost-shifting smash from Combs if he is to re-establish himself as a rival to Wallen's throne. Right now, it's no competition.

And even if we remove the chart positions and streams from the picture, musically, a lot of fans are yearning for Combs to return to the classic, anthemic vein of This One's For You and WYSIWYG. Yes, Fathers & Sons was an acclaimed project, but it was also largely a continuation of the themes Combs had already been leaning into on Gettin’ Old. While we appreciated the artistry of Fathers & Sons, we're now craving something more dynamic from the country megastar.

Something like ‘Ain't No Love in Oklahoma’, the single he dropped as part of the Twisters: The Album soundtrack. It's a fiery, hell-raising earworm that finds Combs showcasing his gravelly, powerhouse vocals and sprinkling in a plethora of visceral imagery.

Similarly, Combs’ largely overlooked contribution to BigXthaPlug's recent country-rap project, ‘Pray Hard’, found the ’Beautiful Crazy’ crooner exploring a refreshing new sound. He layers his rich vocals atop a rousing, choir-led backing, with Combs’ ethereal, soul-stirring voice complementing BigX's quick-fire verses.

And judging by the demos we've already heard from The Prequel, we have reason to be hopeful. ‘My Kinda Saturday Night’ is a rowdy, beers-in-the-air smash that feels cut from the same cloth as ‘Beer Never Broke My Heart’ and ‘My Kinda Folk’, and the unreleased snippet has already been gaining some traction across TikTok.

Let's not be mistaken - Luke Combs will go down as a country great regardless of what he releases over the next five years or so. He already has more Diamond-certified singles than any other country artist in history, and is a legend of the genre.

But it feels like this next album will help us to determine whether Combs is entering his ‘legacy act’ era, where he joins the likes of Kane Brown and Sam Hunt as artists that are undisputed country icons, but that no longer command the same streaming might and on-the-pulse buzz as the Wallens and Bryans. Given the amount of hits he has already accumulated, Combs should unquestionably be aiming for the stratospheric heights of Shania Twain and Garth Brooks.

Hopefully, the three songs on The Prequel, ‘My Kinda Saturday Night’, ‘15 Minutes’ and ’Days Like These’ will allay any fears about Combs’ status in the upper echelon of the genre, and reaffirm his role at the forefront of today's country scene. But don't be fooled by the typically casual and off-hand manner of Combs’ EP announcement - while it won't be make-or-break, this next chapter in his discography could well end up proving pivotal to how we view his career as a whole.

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