Best New Country Songs

It's time for our weekly roundup of the biggest and best new releases from the world of country and Americana. Congratulations on making it through the first half of January! It's Blue Monday, the mathematically most depressing day of the year, on 20th January so we're going to need all the help we can get making it through to the end of the month. Luckily our favourite singers come to the rescue again with a wonderful selection of heartwarming songs to comfort us through the cold, dark, difficult days of winter.

Listen along to our Holler Best New Country playlist on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Apple Music.

This week's Best New Country sees the return of Hailey Whitters with her first major single release in nearly two years. The intriguingly titled 'Casseroles' is a tender and moving tribute to her brother who she tragically lost 13 years ago. Written by Whitters’ close collaborators Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas and James Slater, the moving song fearlessly tackles grief but also retains a sense of the hope that can follow.

“I was sent this record from three of my favorite collaborators who've written many songs that have defined the foundation of my appreciation for modern country music — Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas and James Slater," Whitters says about the song. "During my first listen, I was absolutely floored. I lost my brother suddenly thirteen years ago, and from that moment on, my life was changed forever. I particularly remember everyone bringing loads of food and casseroles over and how I couldn't eat for days because I was so distraught. Remembering that moment was what made this song hit so heavy for me. What happens when the casseroles stop coming and everyone has moved on, but it feels like you never will? As heavy and sombre as the lyric and melody is, I also think there's hope in the message and pray that it lands between ears that need to hear it.”

It's not easy to follow a song like that, but thankfully one of our Holler 25 Artists for 2025, Lanie Gardner, is up next with her brilliant new single, 'Buzzkill,' a no-holds-barred anthem about that friend who always brings trouble along with them with their bad vibes and hidden agendas.

Originally scheduled for release later in the year, 'Buzzkill' quickly became a fan favourite during her live performances and in response to overwhelming demand and an outpouring of requests across her platforms, the release date was moved up, giving us our first taste of her forthcoming sophomore album, set to be released later this year.

“I wrote this song about a friend who had a habit of bringing around the textbook ‘mean girls,’ the ones you could see coming from a mile away. They always had bad intentions,” Lanie shares. “He’s as stubborn as a mule, so we all figured we’d just let him be. But me? I like a buzz when I’ve caught it. So somebody had to say something—and you bet you're a** I did. And I put it in a song. I give you ‘Buzzkill!’”

Gavin Adcock releases his new single, 'Loose Strings,' a song previously recorded by Hailey Whitters, about the messiness of love and the emotional chaos that comes with a relationship falling apart. Written by Brent Cobb, Erik Dylan, and Phillip White, the song explores that feeling of holding onto something that’s already slipping away

Jon Pardi is back with a brand new single and the title track to his forthcoming album, Honkytonk Hollywood, due out on April 11th.

Another one of our Holler 25 Artists for 2025, Willow Avalon releases her highly anticipated, full-length debut album, Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell, and we've got the title track for you in our playlist today. Read all about her unstoppable rise and her arrest in our Who The Heck Is Willow Avalon?: The Southern Belle on a Mission to Raise A Little Hell feature over on Holler now.

One of our favourite new breakthrough artists of last year, Olivia Wolf releases her debut album, Silver Rounds. Written after the accidental death of her fiancé just two weeks before their wedding date, Wolf began writing the album that takes listeners into a journey of heartache, silver linings, falling off the deep end, intense rage, escapism and, eventually, healing and gratitude.

“Silver Rounds tells the tale of riding the cosmic waves between the earthly and spiritual realms," she says. "The connection of light and dark are so close and divided only by a thin line, one moment can change it all. When you lose someone unexpectedly, you find a deeper connection to the spiritual world while having to exist within the earthly one. This album tells the journey of trying to hold on to both of those worlds.”

Produced by Sean McConnell, who has also collaborated with artists including Brittney Spencer, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne and others, Silver Rounds is an outpouring of the aftermath of unthinkable loss, finding inspiration in a 1950s typewriter, tarot card readers, graffiti on a bridge, marijuana and more signs from the afterlife. A story of what happens when you go from feeling on top of the world to feeling like the world has come down on top of you.

Yet another of our Holler 25 Artists for 2025, Pug Johnson shows us his country soulful side with the horn-laden, Hammond organ-soaked four-and-a-half-minute 'Believer,' the cutest country love song we've heard in quite some time and the latest song from his upcoming El Cabron album. The song finds a reborn man recounting a hard fall for his now-wife, Mindy; a serenade fit for a whole new era of Pug Johnson, the turbulence of 2022’s Throwed Off and Glad in the rearview.

In the early days of their relationship, Johnson told Mindy everything. His struggles with drugs and how he’d lost his ex due to infidelity were the subject matter of their very first date. “I also told her that I wanted to be with her or I didn’t want to know her at all,” he recalls. “She was intrigued by the honesty.” All of this unfolds in real time in the song’s opening verse. “I told you 'bout my reputation / You said my honesty was strange / And I felt a new sensation / When you said my name.” The pair were happy together but miserable in their separate professional lives. “We sought solace in each other,” says Johnson. “I would typically get home before Mindy by a couple of hours, so I would take care of dinner and have a drink ready for her when she finally made it home. Then we would sit on the porch and plan our next vacation.”

Watch the video for Pug Johnson's 'Believer' below.

Earlier in the week Jason Isbell announced a new solo acoustic album, Foxes in the Snow, for March 7 with the album's first single 'Bury Me.'

An 11-track collection of solo songs recorded acoustically in New York City last October at the legendary Electric Lady Studios and featuring cover art by Canadian artist Anna Weyant, the album was played entirely on the same all-mahogany 1940 Martin 0-17 acoustic guitar in the span of just five days and captures Isbell at his most intimate for his first new music since the award-winning Weathervanes, recorded with his band The 400 Unit, in 2023.

Released following the announcement of his separation from singer Amanda Shires after 11 years of marriage in February 2024, it's expected to thematically touch upon their relationship and break up, and first single 'Bury Me' is a song that takes stock of his journey through life so far and the world he now finds himself in.

"Still got so much to learn / Still feel alive," he sings. "One lonely girl is all I need to tie me to this world / Make me believe."

Not to be outdone, his formed Drive-By Truckers bandmate and co-founder Patterson Hood has shared the second song, 'The Pool House', from his landmark new solo album, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams, due out next month. Produced by Chris Funk at various studios in Hood’s current hometown of Portland, OR, the album marks the singer-songwriter-guitarist’s most expansive and ambitious extracurricular effort to date, supported by a stellar cast of friends and fellow musicians including Waxahatchee, Brad and Phil Cook, Kevin Morby, Wednesday, Brad Morgan, and Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, The Blasters), David Barbe (Sugar, Mercyland), Nate Query (The Decemberists), Steve Drizos (Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons), Daniel Hunt (Neko Case, M Ward), Stuart Bogie (The Hold Steady, Goose) and Lydia Loveless.

It's going to be a good year for the Heathens!

After grinding it out in Nashville for several years (and making his full-length debut with 2023’s critically praised Long Way From Home), Arkansas native JD Clayton returned to his hometown and immersed himself in creating an adventurous new album that soon led to his signing with Rounder Records.

With equal parts soulful self-reflection and wildly colourful storytelling, his forthcoming album Blue Sky Sundays has just been announced for the end of February with the single 'Dirt Roads of Red.'

Country music’s sweetheart from Knoxville, Tennessee, Emily Ann Roberts releases her new single 'Easy Does It' ahead of hitting the road with country legend Clint Black in February and getting her own full circle moment when she reunites with former voice mentor Blake Shelton on his Friends & Heroes 2025 Tour, hitting 12 cities including her hometown of Knoxville.

The Kentucky Gentlemen kick off 2025 with an infectious boot-stomper of a single called 'Country Hymn.' Co-written with David Messy Mescon (Megan Moroney, Reyna Roberts), the feel-good country bop is an invitation to come as you are, accompanied by a music video featuring the twin-brother duo of Brandon and Derek Campbell decked out in their rhinestoned Sunday best.

“‘Country Hymn’ is our heartfelt anthem reminding us to return to the basics, embrace our roots and truly start extending each other’s grace in this world," the duo say. "We feel that those values are timeless and we live by them. We cherish our roots and it feels amazing to tap even further into our love for country music with this song. ‘Country Hymn’ is our invitation to simply come as you are.”

Watch the video for 'Country Hymn' below.

Lola Kirke releases a song we've been loving in her live sets for a while now and unites songwriting mother and daughter duo Liz Rose and Caitlin Rose in the writing room. 'Hungover Thinkin'' is the morning after anthem we'll be turning to every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning from now on. We take Sunday nights off.

Plus we've got a new anthem for all our wild nights out! Cory Cross teams up with Josiah Spicer are taking us back to the golden age of country on 'This Bottle (In My Hand),' originally recorded by George Jones and David Allan Coe.

“Me and Josiah miss that old country sound and wanted to pay tribute to two of the best to ever do it on one song," Cory Cross told us. "George Jones and David Allan Coe. And a song about drinkin just made sense.”

Jack Browning releases his version of the Luke Bell song, 'The Bullfighter,' to keep us going until he puts out a full album later in the year.

"I am also a portrait painter," Jack Browning told us about how the cover came about, "and in December 2023 I painted a portrait of Luke Bell. That painting took me on the wildest journey, culminating with my talking with his family and with the original painting going to his family's home in Wyoming. I've played the song in my set for years, and recorded this cover some time ago. I was undecided on what to do with it, but decided to mark the adventure the art took me on by releasing it."

Kane Brown releases another song off The High Road ahead of its release next week, Tyler Braden gives himself an ultimatum on 'Me or the Dawn' and George Birge is counting his blessings as he counts down the days on his new single 'It Won't Be Long.' Meanwhile Chase Matthew is hitting the fast lane once again, as he switches the ignition for revved-up anthem 'DRIVES MY TRUCK,' a song about losing control in all the best ways when your girl takes the wheel.

Singer-songwriter Faith Hopkins releases the coming-of-age anthem 'Am I The Only One?' along with a new video filmed in a ballet studio.

“This song captures the universal struggle with the passage of time and the bittersweet journey of growing up," Faith Hopkins told us. "The idea for ‘Am I the Only One?’ came after my 21st birthday, a milestone that made me question, ‘What the heck is next?’ When I walked into the session with my co-writers eight days after my 21st, I asked them, ‘Oh my God, what now? Does everyone feel this way?’ Through laughter and some tears—only on my end lol—we began talking about the moments in our lives that seemed to sneak up on us and transform before we even realized it. ‘Am I The Only One?’ brings out the complexities of growing up—the joy, the sadness, and the inevitable realization that, despite our wishes, time moves on. The song is more than just a reflection of my experiences; it’s a comforting reminder that listeners aren’t alone in feeling this way.”

18-year-old singer songwriter Waylon Wyatt partners up with Bayker Blankenship again, following on from their 'Jailbreak' collaboration from last year, on 'Sunday Supper.'

Watch the video for 'Sunday Supper' below

Northern Ireland-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Gareth, who has been hitting the headlines lately with the announcement of his publishing deal with BMG, releases 'Last Thing I Do', a heartfelt ode to staying grounded while chasing dreams, a theme that resonates deeply with Gareth’s own journey from his small hometown of Castlederg to the country music capital of the world.

“I wrote this song as it relates to my recent move from Northern Ireland to Nashville," Gareth says. "The song mentions that no matter where you travel or what dreams you chase, you will never forget those that are closest to you. Somehow you will always find your way back to the ones you love.”

Elsewhere in this week's Best New Country we've got new ones from Michael Marcagi, David J, Drew Green, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Ron Pope, Crys Matthews, LANCO, Cameron Sacky Band, ZZ Ward, Chatham Rabbits, Charlotte Morris, Trousdale and lots more.

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

1. 1.

   Casseroles

   Hailey Whitters

2. 2.

   Buzzkill

   Lanie Gardner

3. 3.

   Honktonk Hollywood

   Jon Pardi

4. 4.

   Southern Belle Raisin' Hell

   Willow Avalon

5. 5.

   Loose Strings

   Gavin Adcock

6. 6.

   Bury Me

   Jason Isbell

7. 7.

   Gorgeous

   Kane Brown

8. 8.

   Hungover Thinkin'

   Lola Kirke

9. 9.

   Believer

   Pug Johnson

10. 10.

    Dirt Roads of Red

    JD Clayton

11. 11.

    Silver Rounds

    Olivia Wolf

12. 12.

    Sunday Supper

    Waylon Wyatt and Bayker Blankenship

13. 13.

    Midwest Kid

    Michael Marcagi

14. 14.

    Me Or The Dawn

    Tyler Braden

15. 15.

    Easy Does It

    Emily Ann Roberts

16. 16.

    DRIVES MY TRUCK

    Chase Matthew

17. 17.

    Country Hymn

    The Kentucky Gentlemen

18. 18.

    It Won't Be Long

    George Birge

19. 19.

    Am I the Only One?

    Faith Hopkins

20. 20.

    The Pool House

    Patterson Hood

21. 21.

    Last Thing I Do

    Gareth

22. 22.

    This Bottle (In My Hand)

    Cory Cross and Josiah Spicer

23. 23.

    The Bullfighter

    Jack Browning

24. 24.

    We're Gonna Make It

    LANCO

25. 25.

    Drink a Beer

    Mitchell Ferguson

26. 26.

    CRY PRETTY

    David J

27. 27.

    The Life in Your Years

    Ron Pope

28. 28.

    Good Thing Going On (feat. Abbey Cone)

    Mat Kearney

29. 29.

    What Do Lonely People Do

    Eli Young Band

30. 30.

    Something Wrong

    Cameron Sacky Band

31. 31.

    Comin' In Country

    Drew Green

32. 32.

    Clumsy

    Crys Matthews

33. 33.

    Time Waited

    My Morning Jacket

34. 34.

    Bye Heart

    Adam Doleac

35. 35.

    Growing Pains

    Trousdale

36. 36.

    Sad, Tomorrow

    Justin Wells

37. 37.

    Love Alive

    ZZ Ward

38. 38.

    Gas Money

    Chatham Rabbits

39. 39.

    josephine county blues

    Pigeon Pit

40. 40.

    Enjoy the Ride

    Able Heart

41. 41.

    Somebody

    Savannah Dexter

42. 42.

    It Was Always You

    CHASE WRIGHT

43. 43.

    Whiskey Wishes

    Jay Webb

44. 44.

    Cussin' In My Prayers

    Frankie Ballard

45. 45.

    I'll Be Okay

    Norman North

46. 46.

    There Goes Another One

    Mason Via

47. 47.

    When It Don't

    Ryan Waters Band

48. 48.

    Drive

    Jason Boland and The Stragglers

49. 49.

    16 Miles

    Jessica Lynn

50. 50.

    Old Tricks

    The Droptines

51. 51.

    Old Fashioned

    Daisey Harper

52. 52.

    Backseat

    Adam Wendler

53. 53.

    There's A Drink For That

    Josh Ward

54. 54.

    Ain't No Use

    Danny Worsnop

55. 55.

    ain't chasin'

    Ty March. and Zane Neale

56. 56.

    Til The Morning

    Benjamin Dakota Rogers

57. 57.

    Don't call him a Cowboy

    Dustin de la Garza

58. 58.

    This Is Gonna Hurt

    Ward Thomas

59. 59.

    Watching You Burn

    Garrett Bradford

60. 60.

    Hold Me Down

    Nate Good

61. 61.

    Make Me Wonder

    Solon Holt

62. 62.

    Homegrown Night

    Hunter Brothers

63. 63.

    Storm's Comin' Tonight

    Sean Thompson's Weird Ears

64. 64.

    As Is

    Charlotte Morris

65. 65.

    So Good

    Liz Longley

66. 66.

    High For A Reason

    Bluey Thomas

67. 67.

    Boom

    Sierra Hull

68. 68.

    Hell & Back (feat. Jaren Johnston)

    Mark Morton

69. 69.

    Destiny

    Ron Barrett

70. 70.

    Outside Looking In

    Hannah Anders

71. 71.

    Soulmate

    Barefoot Joe

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