This week, Koe Wetzel offers up a contemplative new track, while 49 Winchester previews its upcoming May album with a vulnerable new ballad. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Nichols again brings her sharp songwriting to her new release, while Brit Taylor issues a retro-minded new country track and Waylon Wyatt offers a wistful new country-folk track.
Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
Koe Wetzel, “Time Goes On”
Koe Wetzel follows up his 2025 hit “High Road” (featuring Jessie Murph) with more new music, including this reflective track that contemplates how life evolves over the years. Wetzel ponders the passing of time and how all the decisions made over the years, right or wrong, and how they’ve culminated to help shape who he is today. “Could be pulling concrete on a West Texas street, but I’m writing this song,” he sings, taking stock of where he’s been and appreciating where he is today, with all the joys and regrets that go with it. Wetzel wrote the song with Amy Allen, Carrie Karpinen, Josh Serrato and producer Gabe Simon.
49 Winchester, “Pardon Me”
49 Winchester previews its upcoming May 15 album Change of Plans with this churning ballad written by the band’s Isaac Gibson. “I am through with my tireless, endless searching,” Gibson sings, bolstered by a rugged rock guitar, as he traces the process of trading an unsettled, high-anxiety life for the peace of being with the one he loves. 49 Winchester has proven itself to be among the top-tier groups over the past decade, blending elements of rock, country, blues and Americana into its own signature musical stew, and with this new release, they seem poised to continue building upon that solid trajectory.
Elizabeth Nichols, “Sweet Cigarette”
Nichols, known for her breakthrough hit “I Got a New One,” continues showcasing that she knows her way around crafting a hooky chorus and a razor-sharp lyric. On “Sweet Cigarette,” a solo write from Nichols, she’s comparing the allure of a “bad boy” with the love of a stand-up guy, and wondering why she’s drawn like the pull of an addiction to the one who doesn’t treat her well “He’s picking me flowers and you just pick fights,” she sings, her tone itself a mix of sweet and sultry. Nichols is quickly underscoring the depth and breadth of her artistic range.
Brit Taylor, “Around and Around”
Brit Taylor revels in retro country sounds on her latest, chronicling a family’s legacy and various choices, from a father working double shifts to provide for his family, while his daughter’s “got some green, getting high, high, high.” Her voice is bright and cutting, in the tradition of ’80s and ’90s country queens such as Patty Loveless and Kathy Mattea, further cementing Taylor as a standout presence.
Waylon Wyatt, “In Loving Melody”
Wyatt, known for songs including “Arkansas Diamond,” pays homage to a fizzled romance on this laid-back song. A wistful, bright production, with swirling guitars and steady, understated percussion, captures the song’s sense of remembering a romance’s good times while longing for the one who made it feel that way. “Miles and miles between you and me/ But I can’t get away,” Wyatt sings. The track marks his second work with producer Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves, Maggie Rogers) and it brings a rustic elegance to Wyatt’s country-folk sound and warm, conversational singing style.
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