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“All I Ever Do” jumpstarts the band’s forthcoming third studio album, Forever Worse Better, slated for release October 9. It’s a propulsive, earth-scorching opener that sets in motion the album’s entire arc, as Nelson and his bandmates Frank Keith IV (bass) and Blount Floyd (guitar, harmony) unravel some surprisingly weighty

“This song is simple. The music is simple. The lyrics are simple. It came to me in a simple way. It’s the never-ending song about a heart’s desire and the lack of that desire being fulfilled. A love song, in a weird sort of way,” Nelson explains to American Songwriter, premiering the first single today.

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Ever get drawn to someone that you know will just be disastrous for you? Nashville-based singer Van Darien sums that perfectly with her new song “Twisted Metal.” Co-written by superstar Maren Morris, the driving, grinding groove of the track lends to its dangerous subject, with Van Darien’s cutting vocals searing with intensity. Its cinematic video is a perfect depiction of this race to destruction. The song appears on her upcoming release, Levee...

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“Just keep your foot on the pedal,” Van Darien tells her speed-demon lover, knowing the both of them are too stubborn to bail out of a relationship that’s bound for collision. Co-written with Maren Morris — another Texas-born Nashvillian who, like Darien, uses country music as a jumping-off point for a broader, bolder sound — “Twisted Metal” mixes Americana atmospherics with overdriven guitar and throaty hooks fit for pop royalty.

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“We finished it just to finish an album,” said emerging Nashville elite Mercy Bell. She spoke humbly of her work but didn’t undercut what she’s managed to build or the emotional pain from which it was born.

Her new self-titled album took three years to make and follows her debut, 2011’s All Good Cowboys. An eight-year gap can seem like an eternity in the music industry; trends move rapidly and independent musicians are always at the mercy of time…

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As part of their “5 Songs You Need to Hear” column, Wide Open Country Has this to say about Blank’s “Don’t Think Twice”:

Dutch singer-songwriter Judy Blank sings a tender lullaby to anxious hearts on the sweet, gently rolling acoustic number “Don’t Think Twice.” The song is from Blank’s album Morning After, which will be released in the U.S. this Friday (Nov. 1).

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Signe Marie Rustad’s latest album, When Words Flew Freely arrives 1 November from Die with Your Boots on Records. Reminiscent of classic singer-songwriters of the 1970s (Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill), Rustad has a voice and musical vision that’s decidedly of this time and, also, timeless. Listening to her latest single, “A Thousand Lights”, one hears her sense of optimism come through in the wordless, ethereal choruses and in the tune’s sweeping, lush arrangement. If ever there were a song that captured rediscovering hope after a long walk with hopelessness, “A Thousand Lights” is it.

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