HELL yes.
A song I will be more than thrilled to hear on country radio.
The Turnpike Troubadours are gearing up to release a new studio album called A Cat in the Rain on August 25th, and have already put out two singles, “Mean Old Sun” and “Chipping Mill.”
And as it turns out, you might be hearing the latter on a local station near you here in the next month or so.
According to country radio insider Chris Owen, it will impact as a single nationwide on August 21st:
Written by bassist and founding Member R.C. Edwards, alongside Oklahoma up-and-comer and frequent collaborator Lance Roark, “Chipping Mill” is a cleverly penned tune with sonically masterful instrumentation that catches the essence of Turnpike’s beloved sound.
With a more prominent fiddle from Kyle Nix backing Felker’s iconic vocals, the song traverses lyrically through six distinct verses, all of which end in a uniform exclamation – “I always kept the best for you, I always kept the best for you.”
The repetition adds emphasis to the narrator’s sorrowful disposition, seemingly reminiscing on a ruined relationship with something or someone for whom they care deeply.
The band sending it to radio as a single is thanks to the promotion of Thirty Tigers, a Nashville-based company that does marketing, distribution and management company for many of your favorite independent artists, and will most likely be heard on more secondary, smaller stations, but definitely stands a chance to be heard on the larger, more mainstream stations too since it was sent to everyone.
It falls in line with similar moves over the last year or so with other independent artists like Cody Jinks and Mike and the Moonpies, and I love to see them competing with much larger, mainstream artists and labels like this, whether any of them ever become #1 hits or not (though obviously, I think they should).
And while they didn’t ask me, if any radio DJ’s happened to click on this article, I’d say it would be a very welcome addition to country radio, indeed…
Turn it up:
“Chipping Mill”
Set to be released on August 25th via their own Bossier City Records label, A Cat in the Rain will be the Turnpike Troubadours’ first record since 2017’s A Long Way from Your Heart.
Given the circumstances, this is shaping up to be one of the most heavily anticipated records in a long time, and with two spectacular singles out in the world, the hype is very real and I am counting down the days.
A Cat In The Rain tracklist:
1. “Mean Old Sun”
2. “Brought Me”
3. “Lucille”
4. “Chipping Mill”
5. “The Rut”
6. “A Cat in the Rain”
7. “Black Sky”
8. “East Side Love Song (Bottoms Up)”
9. “Three More Days”
10. “Won’t You Give Me One More Chance”
