Tucker Wetmore - What Not To

“When it gets hard how do I not leave / How do I do ‘em better than you did me / I gotta admit I don’t know what to do / But thanks to you I know what not to,” Tucker Wetmore sings on the contemplative title track of his debut album, What Not To.

Across 19 songs, the Washington native delivers a steady collection of contemporary country that runs the gamut of young self discovery in life, love and the pursuit of understanding. Yet, it's the title track, placed strikingly in the center, that gives What Not To a distinctive edge by demonstrating an unpretending moment of observation as Wetmore confronts his own generational trauma. Through breaking the standard beginning to happy ending album structure, Wetmore shows his gravitas as a storyteller willing to share the struggles and realizations of a true-to-life journey.

The foreboding ‘Whatcha Think Is Gonna Happen’ is a cautionary tale of youthful rebellion with  a thumping guitar-laden chorus filled with redneck bravado. Though even with all the rock infused resistance, Wetmore thoughtfully realizes that the worst threat to the “town full of bars and a run-down church” is staring at him in the mirror. The toe tapping bounce of ‘3,2,1’ captures all the conflicted feelings of love-gone-wrong with Wetmore tenderly taking accountability for the demise of a relationship. The crisp production exudes similar earworm attributes as the breezy swing of established hit ‘Wind Up Missin’ You’ and will likely be Wetmore’s next success at radio. However, this approach isn’t always as successful elsewhere.

While the ‘80s laced production of flirtatious ‘Drink Alone’ is inventive, the turn-of-phrase lyric set never quite rises to the quality of the orchestration. Similarly, ‘Silverado Blue’ struggles to ever get into fourth gear due to the weight of country tropes presented, diminishing the charm of the mid-tempo groove. Both offerings, while perfectly fine radio fodder, feel disconnected from the rest of the body of work that seeks to explore Wetmore’s authentic experiences.

Overall, What Not To is a solid debut from an artist clearly doing the work to confront his demons and take accountability for wrongs previously done. Wetmore absolutely shines when he’s demonstrating and exploring this meaningful growth instead of being bogged down by the trappings of shallow distractions.

With this kind of promise, there is no telling where a storyteller of this caliber will go next.

8/10

Tucker Wetmore’s 2025 project, What Not To, is available everywhere on April 25 via Tucker Wetmore / Back Blocks Music.

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