If you were a fan of country music in the early 2010s, then the thought has probably crossed your mind:
“Where in the hell did The Band Perry go?”
The trio was one of the few bright spots in mainstream country music, when bro-country, electronic beats, and overproduction were beginning to dominate in Nashville.
Early in their country career, The Band Perry were killing it with songs like “If I Die Young,” “Better Dig Two,” “You Lie,” “All Your Life,” and a number of others.
But ultimately the group was ready for a personal change, and did a complete 180 while transitioning to pop music.
It may have been tough for The Band Perry fans to chew on at the time, but the three siblings were ready to take their sound in a different direction…and then after that they just kind of disappeared.
Then finally, back in late March, the group reappeared to announce that they were breaking up to pursue their own creative ventures.
But last week, lead singer Kimberly Perry announced last week that she was in the process of releasing a “part two” version of the band’s biggest hit, “If I Die Young,” which was solely written by Kimberly herself.
And now, the day has finally arrived, as “If I Die Young Pt. 2” is officially out on all platforms.
Kimberly weighed in on this reimagined version of the song in a press release:
“‘If I Die Young’ has always been my North Star. When I had to come back to the core of who ‘Kimberly’ was, I’d always find myself turning to this record.
So to kick off my solo artist career with Part 2, it’s a full circle moment. It reflects all of my growth from the past decade, while still channeling that young girl. I’m just so grateful to put those pieces together on Part 2.”
Needless to say, “growth” is the perfect way to describe this one. The chorus revisits the original, with Kimberly realizing that there’s “no such thing as enough time,” while the rest of the song is all about reflecting on her younger self, and how she’s thankful some doors have closed while others have opened.
And thankfully, it’s once again back to that same country sound that shot The Band Perry to the top early in their career…before they decided to go pop.
Give it a listen:
