If you haven’t heard of Hunter Root yet, I suggest you change that.
With nearly a decade in the music industry under his belt, the Pennsylvania artist has been one of the state’s best kept secrets for quite some time now. But with the release of his viral single “Town Rat Heathen” this past January, which has amassed nearly a million Spotify streams to date, Hunter Root is quickly growing a strong following across the country.
Root, who is also the frontman of a Pennsylvania based psych-rock group called Medusa Disco, has cultivated a unique and genre-defying, yet undoubtedly appealing sound in the three solo records he has dropped since 2018.
And just as his music is really taking off and reaching new fan bases and markets, Root took to Instagram to announce that his fourth album, one with very special meaning to him, will be coming soon.
“I want to take a moment to explain the meaning of the album title as well. I called it ‘Arkansas’ for a few reasons. I am Pennsylvania raised but I was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas. My brother and I both. We were only there for a few years but we have tons of home videos and pictures of that era so I have a healthy collection of memories of that time despite being so young.
So, it’s going back to my roots (no pun intended). The name ‘Arkansas’ also reflects the genre the album is leaning towards. But the main reason it’s titled this is for my older brother, Nicholas Root. If you look on the back of the album you can see I dedicated the whole thing to him. He would love this name and would completely get it, being born there means a lot to us both.
Nick passed away two years ago as of April 15th at the age of 27. I was 26 when he died. He played guitar before me and is the reason I picked it up to begin with.
One of his worries on his deathbed was that he wouldn’t be remembered when he was gone. Fuck that, this one is forever for you Nick, I wouldn’t be here without you!”
Root dropped the project’s first single “Quicksand Sinking” back in April 2022, and followed that up with “Run from the Devil” this past October.
In January, “Town Rat Heathen” hit streaming platforms, and has since quickly become Root’s biggest hit to date, setting the stage for “Reverend” last month, and successfully building anticipation for the release of the full length record Arkansas this upcoming summer.
With the strong reception Root has seen from these singles, I think it’s safe to say that this could be a breakout project for Root, and I’m excited to see where it takes him. And I’m sure, no matter what happens, he’ll be making his late brother Nick proud.
Here is the full tracklist for Hunter Root’s upcoming record Arkansas, and as we wait for the whole project to drop this summer, make sure to keep cranking the singles Root has released thus far. This guy is the real deal, so you’re going to want to mark your calendars for this one.
“Silver Lining”
“Quicksand Sinking”
“Town Rat Heathen”
“Reverend”
“Grain of Rice”
“Can’t Outshine the Truth”
“California Sober”
“Good on Paper”
“Few Steps Back”
“Run from the Devil”
