He doesn’t miss.
This past Friday, Kolby Cooper released his sophomore studio album Love You, Goodnight, which includes 14 songs that show off his writing chops and rockin’ edge that makes him one of the most exciting up-and-comers from the Texas scene making a play at mainstream country. He has opened for the likes of Koe Wetzel and Jelly Roll over the last several years, and Kolby has pretty much been at it since he was fresh out of high school after releasing his first song online around that time, and shortly after an EP called Vo. 1 that got some buzz organically in Texas.
Since then, he put out his debut Boy From Anderson County To The Moon in 2022, and released some one-off singles here and there until this year and the new full-length project… so yeah, it’s been too long since we’ve gotten an album from him. Kolby had a hand in writing every song on Love You, Goodnight, in addition to having help from some of Nashville’s best in Ben Burgess, Andrew Baylis, David Garcia and more.
Kolby says it was a labor of love to create this music, because he is a busy husband and father of three, two little girls and a little boy, so that also brought him a lot of inspiration and motivation to make it perfect:
“Making this album really kicked my a**. It took longer than I wanted it to, yet we dug down deep on this one and I think it really gives a glimpse into my life over the last few years.
There’s the part of me that is focused on being a great husband and dad to my wife and kids and then there’s the other side that is trying to make this dream happen out here on the road… and with all of that I think you will feel that there is an underlying theme of brokenness on this album that maybe writing and singing about it helps others not feel quite so alone.”
He tackles tough subjects like family tragedy, sadness, love, and of course, heartbreak, though it’s all brought together by the consistently great production that has flavors of Nirvana and Blink 182 with some of the driving guitars and other elements that are a staple on most of music, and I personally love.
In terms of the songwriting, it’s obvious that Cooper has elevated his pen game and ability to dig deep and find nuance in each line, putting forth a project that feels super cohesive and even stronger than his aforementioned debut, which can be trickier than you’d think on a sophomore album… you don’t want to keep recreating the same thing, but you also want to stay true to your artistic taste and preferences. The easy standout for me is the first track, “Apt. 208,” and I’ve already had it on repeat, though there’s not a bad song on the tracklist, so I always suggest starting at the beginning and going in order to appreciate full scope and message… the way albums are supposed to be consumed, in my humble opinion.
I certainly appreciate the fact that Cooper kept it to a modest 14 songs (it feels insane to call a normal-length record modest, but that’s music in 2025…), and it makes the whole album feel so put together and intentional, and in today’s world of streaming reigning supreme and artists pushing singles and releasing albums with a ridiculous amount of music, that makes a big difference in terms of the overall quality of individual songs.
We’ve been telling you for years, since he was first starting out in the Texas scene, that Cooper is a name to keep your eye on, and this album proves once again why he’s continues to be a rising star in country music.
I’ve left a few of my favorite songs from Love You, Goodnight below if you’re looking for a good place to start…
“Apt. 208”
“Fighting With God”
“Under My Skin”
“Lost Gets Found”
“Love You, Goodnight”
Love You, Goodnight Tracklist:
1. Apt. 208 (Kolby Cooper, Ben Burgess, Andrew Baylis)
2. Fighting With God (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis, Josh Dorr, Michael Whitworth)
3. Running Away (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth)*
4. Lost Gets Found (Kolby Cooper, Michael Whitworth, Andrew Baylis)
5. Hate You Too (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis, Riley Thomas, Michael Whitworth)
6. Empty Handed (Kolby Cooper)
7. One Big Happy Sad Family (Kolby Cooper, Sam Bergeson, Dan Pellarin, Riley Thomas)
8. Under My Skin (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis, Josh Dorr, Michael Whitworth, Riley Thomas)
9. One Last (with Danielle Bradbery) (Kolby Cooper, Michael Whitworth, Cody Quistad)
10. Kill Me (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth)*
11. Getaway (Kolby Cooper, Jaxson Free, Joybeth Taylor, Jacob Durrett)
12. Mama (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth, Geoff Warburton)
13. Hello From The Road (Kolby Cooper, David Garcia, Brett Tyler)*
14. Love You, Goodnight (Kolby Cooper, Andrew Baylis)
Produced by Andrew Baylis & Michael Whitworth
*Produced by Andrew Baylis
Certainly a name to keep your eye on, Kolby will be on tour for most of 2025, and you can check out his schedule below.
LOVE YOU, GOODNIGHT TOUR 2025
April 23—Stephenville, TX—LJT Texas Music Festival 2025*
April 25—Waco, TX—The Backyard Bar Stage and Grill
April 26—Bay City, TX—Rusty Hook Ranch
May 1—Midland, TX—The Tailgate
May 2—Christoval, TX—Cooper’s BBQ/LIVE!
May 3—Abilene, TX—Potosi Live
May 9—Rice, TX—The Ranch Saloon
May 10—Elgin, OK—Elgin Municipal Park*
May 15—Grand Junction, CO—Warehouse25sixty-five Kitchen + Bar
May 16—Laramie, WY—The Cowboy Saloon & Dance Hall
May 17—Casper, WY—The Gaslight Social
May 29—Little Rock, AR—The Rev Room
May 30—Fort Smith, AR—The Majestic
June 12—Roswell, NM—The Liberty
June 13—Albuquerque, NM—Dirty Bourbon
June 14—Las Cruces, NM—Whiskey Dicks
June 19—Phoenix, AZ—Crescent Ballroom
June 20—Tucson, AZ—191 Toole
June 27—Denver, CO—Grizzly Rose
June 28—Colorado Springs, CO—The Whiskey Rose
July 4—La Vernia, TX—4th of July Festival*
July 5—Big Lake, TX—Star Spangled Celebration*
July 12—Jacksonville, IL— Morgan County Fair*
August 1—Broken Bow, OK— Hochatown Saloon
August 2—Alexandria, LA—Rapides Parish Coliseum*
August 9—Oro Station, Canada—Boots and Hearts Music Festival 2025*
August 10—West Chester, OH—Voices of America Country Music Fest 2025*
August 14—Minneapolis, MN— Varsity Theater
August 15—Rosemont, IL— Joe’s Live
August 16—Grand Rapids, MI—Elevation
September 6—Nashville, TN— Basement East
September 11—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond 2025*
September 12—Kansas City, MO— PBR Big Sky
September 13—Hugoton, KS—High Plains Fest*
September 18—Wichita, KS—Cotillion
September 19—St.Louis, MO— Delmar Hall
September 20—Manhattan, KS— The Hat
*Festival
