Diplo Announces Second “Country” Album, ‘Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant,’ Is Coming Soon

Diplo country music
Diplo Instagram

Diplo has a new “country” album coming soon.

Actually, it would probably be more accurate to call it country-inspired, since there was nothing particularly country about the first project of this nature, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil, which he released in 2020.

The record featured collaborations with Morgan Wallen, Ben Burgess, Thomas Rhett, Orville Peck, Zac Brown and many others.

And yesterday, he officially announced that the follow-up, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant, is coming at the end of this month on April 28th.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, he also shared a bit about how it came to be, after he went back to his father’s house in Florida and spent six months learning how to play guitar, getting in touch with nature, and working the shrimp boat in the swamp.

He noted that he also went from “Kentucky to Texas” to convince artists to feature on the record, and he also called it “the greatest single piece of work I’ve ever done,” along with sharing photos from decades ago when he was clearly obsessed with Alan Jackson as a teenager (just look at that second photo in the carousel below):

“To prepare for this new Thomas Wesley project, I went back to my fathers house in Florida and I spent six months learnin guitar, gettin in touch with nature, working his boat when the shrimp were running on full moons at the trailer park..

then I went to Nashville and had to take out every manager and a&r out to dinner until my credit card was maxed. I called every favor from my rapper friends (there wasn’t a lot that answered my calls) went to Kentucky and Texas and tracked down all the guys there and asked everyone to give me a chance and to be on my new project.

I looked back at my career and the things I learned as a songwriter.. then I researched every way I was good at breaking the rules in my career and tried some new tricks … spent two years going to Stagecoach undercover as an EDM DJ to figure out what people were into …

I tried on a lot of cowboy hats. I rode a lot of motorcycles and horses basically reflected on my whole life and career and connection with this music.. there was a lot.. it all started in the swamps I was raised in …

This is the greatest single piece of work I’ve ever done, I can promise you that. Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant… out April 28.”

While the full tracklist has yet to be revealed, we do know that it will at least feature Texas rocker Koe Wetzel, as they previously put out the lead single “Wasted,” which features Koe and rapper Kodak Black, in January.

And of course, while I don’t expect this to be any sort of super traditional, old school country album by any means (he said himself in the caption several different rappers will be featured), I am certainly intrigued to see which artists ended up on the project and what it really sounds like.

I mean, Texas to Kentucky? That’s enough to pique my interest… stay tuned.

“Wasted”

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A RIFF ON WHAT COUNTRY IS REALLY ABOUT

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