Muscadine Bloodline’s latest record The Coastal Plain is an absolute force to be reckoned with.
Yet another masterclass in southern songwriting from one of country music’s biggest independent bands, this 14-track record truly has it all. But ironically, the independent route wasn’t always the plan for Muscadine Bloodline.
In fact, once upon a time, the group fronted by duo Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton was caught up in chasing what was popular, with radio hits and record labels occupying their dreams. Eventually they reached a point, though, where they realized that they could sustain a career making the music that they wanted to make, and not the music that music executives thought would make them the next big thing.
Their debut album released shortly thereafter – Burn It at Both Ends in 2020 – was their first foray into finding their true sound. And by the time their middle finger to corporate Nashville record Dispatch to 16th Ave. dropped in 2022, it was clear Muscadine Bloodline was onto something uniquely spectacular.
This attitude was only bolstered by their third album Teenage Dixie, in which Muscadine Bloodline not only honed in on a sound that is inherently their own, but brought their fanbase into the folklore of their Mobile, AL-area upbringing, the area in which both Muncaster and Stanton got their start as musicians. And thus the stage was set for their brand new album, The Coastal Plain.
Check out what they had to say about the new album on Instagram leading up to its release.
“No Matter if our new record coming out this Friday is the album that takes it to the next level or not. Just know, we put our everything into ‘The Coastal Plain.’
The Coastal Plain of Alabama is the southwest portion of the state, where we both spent 20+ years of our lives. It’s where we continuously draw inspiration. It’s the culture we know and our task of this record was to take you there. The nuances and the detail we labored over for this project can only be understood by listening to it top to bottom. From the energy, the concepts, the gospel harmony interludes, and the flow from one song to the next, it’s how we believe God intended a group of 14 cohesive songs to be. This is an album.
In a world where we aren’t conditioned to have long attention spans anymore, all we ask from y’all is to pre-save it and give this record 1 listen in its entirety when you have 35 minutes to spare. We know by the end of it you may have some favorites to go back to. This is the first record we made where even we couldn’t pick our favorite song.
We gave up on trying to be the biggest or best a long time ago and we just want to give our best with every record we put out and just have fun making it. We took our time on this project and made it with the boys that play behind us every night on the road. You will never get a Muscadine Bloodline record that didn’t have sleepless nights worth of thought, concepts, ideas, stories. It’s what y’all deserve and that’s a promise. The rest is in the Lord’s hands.”
Intended to further bring fans into the world that they grew up in, The Coastal Plain, which refers to their Southwestern Alabama region , is a very well-written and sonically diverse project that is sure to capture the hearts of anyone who listens. But if you peel back that first layer and take a deeper dive here, you’ll notice that there are much more important themes at stake.
Through the lens of this area the band calls home, and the authentic stories that have arisen from their time residing within it, The Coastal Plain manages to, somewhat latently, represent a moral disposition felt by all who have explored the dichotomous relationship between pleasure and morality, and how it ultimately pertains to mortality.
You take half of these songs, and you’ll get catchy country tunes about breakups and past flames, the highs and lows of relationships. But if you contextualize the remainder of these songs, that either implicitly or explicitly consider morality and mortality, it becomes apparent that the content of this record, though it succeeds in taking the listener to the Coastal Plains of Southwest Alabama, hinges upon the juxtaposition of morality and mortality – Something that I believe anyone can relate to, no matter where they’re from.
This is the type of album that I really believe should be experienced in one sitting, from track 1 to track 14, in order to fully grasp the magnitude of Muscadine Bloodline’s outlook. But in case 40 minutes to do so is too difficult to come by, check out the tracklist below, equipped with YouTube links, and my favorite lyrics here and there, for you to pick and choose until you’re fully bought in.
The Coastal Plain
“Two Tattered Tulips”
“There was two tattered tulips up on Cavalry Hill
Planted right in between ’em was a perfect daffodil
Well, the one in the middle heard them both curse His name
Till one changed his mind and his blaspheming ways
Well, I woke up in glory with streets paved with gold
I was an old tattered tulip till the Lord called me home”
“Daffodils”
“When she told me she was pregnant, well my first thought was denial
Should’ve taken more precaution, but hadn’t seen her in a while
You can’t mix the old and water when it comes down to commitment
Ain’t a good life for a daughter without you in it”
“Earle Byrd From Mexia”
“Cooking up good homemade corn liquor, the kind that make a man go blind
Kind that make a poor man richer when the folks vote the county dry
Kind that’ll get you there quicker, put some slack back in your jaw
I’m talking that good homemade corn liquor
Earl Byrd’s been brewing since the crack of dawn”
“One Man War”
“Pay Me No Mind”
“Tickets to Turnpike” ft. Kyle Nix
“Darling, can I take you out? Been waiting for a minute
I got an extra ticket to a Turnpike show
We can both sneak out, alibi together
And it don’t hurt nothin’ what your mama don’t know
Won’t you run with me to Montgomery?
Wherever the hell, I’m down
Hey darling, can I take you out?”
“Airport & McGregor”
“High On The Ridge”
“High on the ridge or down in the valley
Right in His Hands is right where I belong
He’ll take a trial, He’ll take tribulation
With the blood that was shed for the road I’ve been on”
“Rattlesnake Ridge”
“10-90”
“So give you on your worst day and I’ll give you my best
When you only got 10 I’ll be that 90 that’s left
So go on and run me ragged, long as your loving don’t stray
Don’t worry ’bout meeting me int he middle
When I’m already running your way”
“Mary Riley”
“Weyerhaeuser Land”
“Low Hangin’ Fruit”
“Good In This World”
“Thought about that old man’s love on my quite ride home
The girl behind the register and the love of my own
These days are numbered, my perspective has grown
Tonight I’m gonna hold her like tomorrow ain’t known”
To be honest, when Muscadine Bloodline came out with Teenage Dixie, I didn’t know if they’d be able to top it. That’s no knock on them, because I absolutely loved that album. But as great as it was, it holds no flame to The Coastal Plain. This is an independent country music powerhouse at their best, and we’re all lucky to be witnessing it.
Now get out there and catch Muscadine Bloodline live this fall.
