New Music Tuesday: Vol. 21-2025

Back in Order With a New Music Post

A bit of analysis, then some thoughts on more new stuff this week.

A Political Section

Country music is a commercial creation — something build to market hillbilly music and lower class traditions to the masses. However, the traditions behind the music are diverse and are often lost in the whitewashing of these histories. All too often, they are summed up as conservative, simple and old-fashioned. But as with most complex ideas streamlined for mass consumption, that summary ignores the nuance and context.

So it’s interesting to see the resergence of some country artists with left-leaning politics come out swinging so hard with very country songs about hillbilly themes and working class problems. It’s not that they weren’t there — just most ignored them as country music became highly profitable.

Jesse Welles has been the vanguard of this movement. While he honed his craft under those power lines, Welles stepped back to refine those daily songs into a larger story.

Jesse Welles

I was struck by “Friends,” Welles' latest, especially after his more overt political songs that dominated early releases and his social media profile. “Friends” is a review of where we stand, less a protest song, but it hits hard, bringing you back to the point of all these political arguments: the people in your life.

This song is more than we deserve. The brutal honesty within his clean poetry reminds us that “history don’t repeat itself, it just rhymes.” He asks us to remember there is naunce and embrace it — so we don’t simply put on the yoke and walk forward. Welles implores us to remember the past within the confines of this progressive song.

Willi Carlisle’s recent releases, “Beeswing” and “Work is Work,” chronicle stories of people and the radical idea that all people’s stories should be told and respected. Carlisle calls himself a folk musician and personifies Woody Guthrie’s description of the calling. His music makes me uncomfortable — and makes me think about my position and what it means to be in it. So he’s got that covered.

Willi Carlisle and his bandmate

But to quote Guthrie again, “Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.” Carlisle’s choice of covers and original songs exposes his brilliance. However, his music still requires some deep thinking to grasp the straightforward complexity of his topics.

Luckily, Dylan Earl takes care of that with his release, out last week on Gar Hole Records, “Outlaw Country.” The song hits you over the head with the point.

“Anti-facts ain’t facts, That’s a fact.”

“I wrote this song for your proverbial racist uncle or homophobic aunt,” he said in a prepared statement, clearly expecting this line of questioning. “I believe it is more important than ever that artists use their platform in protest. I know I’m not the first to speak out against the evils of this world. But, I hope to be an inspiration for others to do the same, especially those other cis-het country singers out there.”

Yeah. More of this. And of the nuances. And of the stories of people.

Other Fantastic Recent Releases:

Sweet Megg — Never Been Home

Before Sweet Megg went off to join the circus (really), she told me about her music — something she calls hillbilly jazz. And this album — which will find itself near the top of many best-of-the-year lists — provides a detailed roadmap to the backcountry roads and high-brow institutions that influence this genre. Not only is the music and production lovely, but the stories are well crafted and well told.

One that sticks with me is “Canberra (Baby Blue).” A jazzy little number supported by great slips into honky tonk vocals, panio and themes, the surprise of a crisp strings section supporting a massive chorus, this song honors the past while delivering something completely new. Listen to this album.

Next of Kin — Homemaker

Homemaker is an EP of queer country love songs this straight white dude likes very much.

Willow Avalon (feat. Charles Wesley Godwin) — “The Actor”

It’s hard to say that Willow Avalon and Charles Wesley Godwin are underrated, but perhaps they are because there is no reason this song isn’t dominating Country Radio™.

Regina Ferguson — “Lucky”

You could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a long-lost Sheryl Crow song as Ferguson starts singing. However, her soft Western vibrato and storytelling are all her own. The pedal steel is also a lovely addition to this simply recorded song.