Timmy Ty just out there having fun.
Last week, Tyler Childers dropped his latest album, the 13-song Rick Rubin produced Snipe Hunter. And immediately, the reactions ranged from calling it the best album of the year to some who criticized it as Childers’ worst project to date.
It’s definitely not Purgatory if that’s what you were going in hoping for, but it’s far from unlistenable like some people have claimed. The entire album is an interesting, but also natural, shift in sound and lyricism from his previous work, and while some of the songs may not stand the test of time like his earlier hits, there are still some standouts on the project.
“Bitin’ List” has been an instant favorite, going viral on social media as fans share their own lists of people they too would bite if they had rabies. (Only Tyler could come up with that one). And of course, we also got studio versions of fan-favorite songs like “Oneida” and “Nose On The Grindstone.”
All that to say, it’s a good album, though it’s not going to go down as my favorite from Tyler. (That honor still goes to Country Squire – which, as a reminder to anyone complaining about how silly the lyrics are on the new album, was an entire song about living in a camper).
Well along with the album release, Tyler has also been playing some pop-up shows to celebrate the new project. Earlier this week he dropped in to Turkey and the Wolf, a sandwich shop over in East Nashville, to play a few songs and meet fans.
And last night, Tyler and the Food Stamps stopped into Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky for another pop-up show – and this time he really got into character.
Tyler showed up dressed as Dr. Alan Grant, the paleontologist character played by Sam Neill in the Jurassic Park series. And he even had the band dressed for the occasion too.
During the show, Tyler even had the crowd show off their favorite dinosaur sounds, asking fans to harness those roars to go “absolutely rabid” during “Bitin’ List.”
@brittany.m.wright I’m a terrible videographer under the best circumstances, but an even worse one when I’m singing my heart out to one of the best! I was too excited to be hearing and singing along to Bitin’ List to hold still. @Tyler Childers put on an amazing show at Dinosaur World! I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to be there! #tylerchilders #popupshow #cavecity #bitinlist #snipehunter
You love to see it. Tyler is clearly having fun with this new album, regardless of what everybody says about it.
@flogrownhomegrown Old Country Church- Tyler Childers and band dressed as Jurassic Park characters at Dino world in front of 500 people
The First Ever Country Song About Koalas With Chlamydia
The Kentucky native has grown from playing bars and music venues in nearby Huntington, West Virginia to selling out festivals and arenas around the world with his powerful, gritty vocals and bluegrass-inspired folk sound, but it’s really his songwriting prowess that sets Childers apart from pretty much anybody else in country music.
Take, for example, his latest song about a koala with STDs.
Today Childers dropped his latest album, the Rick Rubin-produced Snipe Hunter, and it seems like a lot of listeners are still trying to figure out how they feel about it. Of course there are plenty of people who are going to think everything he does is great, and there are also a few out there who are going to hate it no matter what because of his political views. But in between, there are a lot of people who are digesting the new album and forming their own opinions.
And one song that immediately got their attention was “Down Under.”
The song contains observations from Tyler’s time in Australia, including how long it takes to get there (“forever and a day,”) and the dangerous wildlife:
“Down under is forever and a day
It ain’t no wonder why more folks don’t find the time
‘Cause it takes time to get down under
Things out there can kill ya worse
Than critters and the thunder
It’s been forever and a day since I have been down under”
But that’s not all: Right off the bat, he opens the song with a warning about the diseases carried by koalas – like syphilis, or maybe chlamydia.
“Koala bears get livid when they don’t get eucalyptus
Most of ’em carry syphilis
Or chlamydia what’s the difference
All I know is I don’t want no koala cuddlin’ up to me
I can see it fine from here it is a pretty cute koala”
Gotta give Tyler credit, there aren’t many country songs about koalas getting STDs. (At least not that I can think of. If I’m missing one feel free to let me know).
Of course the internet was immediately amused by the unique lyrics:
Down Under finally answers my lifelong issue of “I want to listen to Tyler Childers, but I also want to learn trivia about koalas”
— Mikey DiLullo (@MikeyDiLullo) July 25, 2025
Now, I don’t think anybody’s going to argue that the song is going to be a fan-favorite or that it’s the best track on the album. But Tyler has done these quirky songs in the past (remember “Ever Lovin’ Hand” from his Country Squire album, which was about…well, pleasing himself in a hotel room?)
And in case you were wondering, he’s right: Koalas actually do have chlamydia, which is obviously a sexually transmitted disease in humans but can also be sexually transmitted in koalas. At one point it was estimated that 90% of the population of koalas in Australia were infected with chlamydia, which led to concerns that the disease could threaten the entire species with extinction.
In 2023, scientists in New South Wales began vaccinating wild koalas for chlamydia in a first of its kind test to control the spread of the disease and protect the species that is now listed as endangered.
And now, we have Mr. Childers sounding the alarm and raising awareness for koala STDs.
Talk about putting your platform to work. What an artist.
