Won’t want to miss this one.
With today’s new batch of superstars in country music getting younger and younger seemingly by the minute, headlined by the likes of Sam Barber, Ty Myers, Waylon Wyatt, Hudson Westbrook and more, it’s becoming increasingly harder to sort out the best of the best when it comes to young talent in genre today. While Barber and Wyatt have made waves in the ever-prominent acoustic/folk scene and Myers has seemingly taken a page out of John Mayer’s playbook throughout his career, there’s a growing need for a hot, young group to carry the torch (and traditions) of Appalachia.
Enter Low Gap.
In case you’re not familiar with the duo, comprised of brothers, Gus and Phin Johnson, they’ve been making waves across many independent country circles for the past few years. When they were in their early teens back in 2021, they burst onto the scene with their debut single, “Mockingbird,” which has since become a cult-classic among their ever-growing fanbase and has scored the siblings well over a million streams on Spotify alone.
Since then, Low Gap has become what can only be described as one of the most exciting young voices in the genre, blending the sounds and stylings of their Appalachian roots in both Lexington, Kentucky and Holmes Country, Ohio. Working with the likes of Ryan Youmans (producer of Muscadine Bloodline’s Teenage Dixie) and Adam Odor (producer of Silverada’s 2024 self-titled album), the young duo has built up quite the reputation over the years.
Flash forward to 2025, Low Gap has had themselves quite a year. In addition to opening for the legendary Chris Knight, the siblings have continued to elevate their sound, which blends some Americana stylings with traditional country elements, with the release of multiple key singles.
After catching lightning in a bottle with fellow rising star, Brendan Walter, and scoring their fastest-rising song to date on the infectious, “If A Song Could Change Your Mind,” back in January, the Johnson brothers would follow it up with the likes of “Churches,” “One Mississippi” and “Someone to Call Home,” all of which showcase their brilliant blend of Americana, Red Dirt and traditional influences.
Fresh off the release of “Beattyville,” featuring the immensely talented Julia DiGrazia (best known for her appearances with Evan Honer on “Jersey Giant” and “Someone You Don’t Know”), the duo is more than ready to take a major leap into the next stage of their career.
We here at Whiskey Riff are proud to announce exclusively that Low Gap will be releasing their debut album, Geneva, on January 16, 2026.
Coming in at 12 tracks, Geneva is ultimately a reflection on the pair’s rural upbringings in the Appalachian belt of their home in Southeastern Ohio, touching on themes of religion, redemption and a bit of philosophy throughout the album.
As Gus explains, Geneva is all about taking a critical look at their upbringing, the good, the bad and the in between, and trying to make sense of it as they step into adulthood in their early twenties.
“‘Geneva’ is like a third-person view. You’re looking at this person who is sort of rambling on different thoughts, and it’s somewhat complex, like real life is. We tackle history a little bit with tracks like ‘Cuyahoga River’ and ‘Appalachian Ohio.’
And then we tackle a little bit of philosophy and religion in there with songs like ‘Say A Prayer’ or ‘Churches.’ Redemption is probably the biggest thing. It’s tying in concepts of ‘How did we end up here?,’ ‘Where am I at now?’ and ‘Where are we headed?’ It’s just my view of growing up in the very corner of Appalachia where it meets the rust belt.”
As for influences on the album, Gus would point to none other than the Appalachian legend himself, Tyler Childers, noting that their main goal on the album was to pen each and every song from a distinct point of view that instantly draws listeners into the world their songs live in.
“That’s a lesson I learned from Tyler Childers. It’s way better to be specific in almost every circumstance. ‘Cause [a song] is still relatable if you name your hometown.”
Childers’ influences don’t stop there, however. Much like the “Lady May” singer, Low Gap set out to make an album that is one-half unabashedly country and Appalachian at its roots while simultaneously being one-half intellectual — or as Phin describes it, “high-class white trash.”
“The image we’re trying to create with this album is sort of high-class white trash — intellectual rednecks… We’re trying to combine a lot of our redneck-isms, so to speak, with this trend of deeper thought and philosophy that has been popularized lately. I’m thinking Jordan Peterson meets Hank Williams Jr.”
And that train of thought can be felt throughout the album in its entirety. In particular, their final single off the upcoming album released today, “Ranch Style Home,” perfectly captures this. The track, which centers around the idea of unabashedly celebrating the simplicities of a blue collar lifestyle.
As Gus explains, “Ranch Style House” (and a large part of Geneva as a whole), ultimately serves as a push-back against today’s hyper-materialistic, oftentimes gaudy stylings of pop and bro-country of the past and present.
“I’m just sick of music where people are telling you how you should live your life, especially when they’re wrong. Like, yeah, I think having a family’s great and wanting to own a house is a great financial decision for anybody… I’m just very sick of the whole mindset of, ‘Oh man, you’re not living life unless you go move to LA.’ It’s a celebration of simplicity in a way, just pushing back on hustle culture.”
Given the fact that I’ve already gotten a preview of Geneva in its entirety, I can safely say that you will not want to miss this one when it releases on January 16th. While some pre-release interviews surrounding albums can devolve into artists portraying an incredibly inflated, unrealistic depiction of the art being showcased, I can assure that Low Gap is a duo that say what they mean and mean what they say.
It’s not often you see a group as young as Gus and Phin offer up a collection of songs that not only carry on strong instrumentation found in both the Appalachian and Red Dirt scene but also challenge you to look at the world from a different perspective. With that being said, however, that’s exactly what they do here on Geneva.
Geneva Tracklist
- “Appalachian Ohio”
- “Cuyahoga River”
- “Beattyville” (feat. Julia DiGrazia)
- “This Young”
- “Churches”
- “One Mississippi”
- “Say A Prayer”
- “Monsters”
- “Heroes”
- “Someone to Call Home”
- “It Ain’t For Me”
- “Ranch Style House”
While you’re here, check out some key pre-released tracks from the album below.
“Say A Prayer”
“Beattyville”
“Ranch Style House”
