What Ever Happened To Eric Paslay?

Eric Paslay with a beard and a hat
Rachel Deeb

We’ve talked about artists who’ve just seemed to disappear (cough cough Frankie Ballard), but the other day in the shower (where my best thinking is done), I had another missing artist come to mind.

Eric Paslay.

I mean, what happened to this guy? He was on top of the world a few years back. Okay, pretty much only 2013-2015, but those were big years for me. My final years of high school and first years of college.

Not only was he putting out huge singles of his own like “Friday Night” (Certified Gold and #2 on US Country Airplay), “Song About A Girl” (#12 on US Country Airplay) and the absolute heart-shattering “She Don’t Love You” (#14 on US Country Airplay), he was also writing some of the biggest songs of the time, like Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” Love and Theft’s “Angel Eyes” (another band who disappeared), Rascal Flatt’s “Rewind” (a band that recently retired), and Eli Young Band’s “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (I’m starting to notice a trend here…)

Eric seemed to be on the up and up… so what happened?

Well, after his big, self-titled, debut album of 2014, he’s only had two releases: A live album from Glasgow in 2019 (bit bold to release a live album after one release, and 5 years later at that) and then an album that I was completely unaware existed, which he released in August 2020, titled Nice Guy.

I’m being completely serious, I had no clue this record existed.

So I take a quick through the track list to see if I recognize a song and what do I see… “I Took A Pill In Ibiza.”

What? And he shot a music video for it?

I mean, I kinda see the connection. Eric’s song “High Class,” which I actually enjoy, certainly ties him to the clubbing scene. So okay, maybe Eric’s just a packed dance floor, pricey mixed drinks kind of guy. I can respect that. He changed the song up and put his spin on it, turning it from a dance song into a drinking alone kind of song. It might be a bit odd, but it actually captures the essence of the lyrics quite well.

But what about the rest of the album? I can sum it up in one word: Blah.

Nothing too bad, but nothing too good either; even the high energy from his previous hits was missing. The whole album just doesn’t have any pop or flair, nothing to drive it home, no song to rally around. Just… blah.

So yeah, what happened to Eric Paslay? I certainly don’t know, but I wouldn’t be mad if he figures it out and we see some of the fireworks of his early career come back in the picture.

The guy’s got a great voice and a whole bunch of talent, so I hope it’s only a matter of time before he turns it around.

“She Don’t Love You”

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