Need it ASAP. Ever since breaking out in 2023 with his certified platinum debut single, “Coal,” it was clear that Dylan Gossett was one of the future stars of the alt. country scene. Existing in a similar space as Zach Bryan and Sam Barber, the Austin native has worn his influences on his sleeve. Being inspired by a wide range of artists, ranging from Turnpike Troubadours and Flatland Cavalry to The Eagles and Ed Sheeran, they all come through in subtle ways through his mix of country, folk and Americana stylings. After scoring some major buzz in 2024 thanks to the continued success of his debut EP, No Better Time, being featured on the star-studded Twisters Soundtrack and receiving even more praise upon the release of second EP, Songs in the Gravel, Gossett put the country community on notice last year with the release of his long-awaited debut album, Westward, in July, which quickly flew up the rankings of mine and many other alternative country fans’ Top Albums of 2025 lists. Just three month’s after the album’s release in July, he has decided expand Westward in the form of a three-song deluxe edition on October 25th. In addition to the brand-new track, “Windy City,” Gossett called upon none other than two of the hottest up-and-coming acts in the genre, Noeline Hofmann and Ole 60, for reimagined versions of “American Trail” and “Back 40.” Additionally, he capped off his big 2025 by scoring an opening spot on George Strait’s second night at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas along with Zach Top. It’s safe to say that Gossett is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the country-folk scene as we head into 2026, and it’s clear that he’s showing no signs of slowing down. After teasing a short snippet of a brand new song, presumably titled, “Hang Me Out To Dry,” back on January 8th, yesterday, he returned to social media with yet another stellar new song, this time called “When I Close My Eyes.” Spoiler alert: it’s another great one. If there’s one thing that jumps out throughout nearly every song in Gossett’s discography, it’s his ability as a writer to place you as a listener into a specific moment and time. Of course, like any writing medium, this is thanks to his use of incredibly vivid, concrete imagery, and it’s no different here on “When I Close My Eyes.” View this post on Instagram As an Austin, Texas, native, the 26-year-old singer/songwriter packs the track full of imagery from his home state and city. From references to Burnet Road, which runs just outside of the heart of the city, to other roadways such as Highway 29 and Rae Ann Drive, Gossett makes you feel like you’re on the drive with him as he heads back to his home. “Well, I’m heading back to Austin, tryna find me again Something to keep me bust, keep these hands from tremblin’ And it’s something like the weather to try and mock my mind Try to think of something clever to keep me satisfied Well, I’ll take Burnet on the weekends, straight down 29 Past the cedars and believers on to Rae Ann Drive When I get out of the city, past the smell of the bar Watch the planes on by in the sky leaving scars” The incredibly imagery-heavy verse transition to a simple yet powerful chorus that sees Gossett wrestling with some undisclosed inner turmoil. And to him, the best cure for that is to head back to Austin, even if it’s simply in his mind. “What do you believe in? Cause I’ve been having trouble sleepin’ The only thing I’m needing is somewhere I can’t find So I’m heading back to Austin, when I close my eyes” All in all, it’s another phenomenal teaser from Gossett, and fans feel the same way, with many comments praising it and begging for a quick release. “It’s peak” “So good as always!!!” “He simply does not miss” “RELEASE THIS NOW” “PLS RELEASE” “Chills” “Unreal” “Can’t miss king” As of now, “When I Close My Eyes” does not have a release date. Dylan Gossett Tour Dates February 13 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Texas Club February 14 – Lexington, Kentucky – Kentucky Horse Park February 19 – West Des Moines, Iowa – Val Air Ballroom February 20 – Norman, Oklahoma – Riverwind Casino February 21 – Durant, Oklahoma – Choctaw Grand Theater March 5 – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – The Wind Creek Event Center April 24 – Lubbock, Texas – Jones AT&T Stadium* * – supporting George StraitThe post Dylan Gossett Shares Teaser Of Stellar New Song “When I Close My Eyes” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A well-deserved honor. Recently, Eric Church was honored by the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police (NCACP) for his ongoing commitment to his home state and his personal ties to law enforcement. Their 2026 NCACP Conference & Ceremony took place last week in Cherokee, North Carolina, which concluded with a banquet with entertainment from North Carolina’s own, Mr. Church. In addition to performing, North Carolina governor Josh Stein presented Eric with the flag of North Carolina alongside the NCACP, recognizing not only his personal ties to law enforcement, but his philanthropic contributions to the state, notably his incredible relief efforts following Hurricane Helene through the Chief Cares fund. What he’s done for the local community cannot be understated, and you can read more about it here. Eric’s maternal grandfather, Rusty, was the chief of police in the small town of Granite Falls in western North Carolina where Eric grew up, and his nickname “Chief” is a sort of borrowed family hand-me-down from Rusty. When Eric first started playing in little bars and clubs, the lighting was so strong that his eyes would get really dry and his contacts would fall out on stage. He’d be up there playing blind, essentially, which eventually prompted him to keep sunglasses on and wear the hat to keep the sweat off his face. If nothing else, it made him look like a police chief himself. When he started playing bigger crowds, he tried to get away from wearing the hat and glasses on stage. But fans kept showing up to shows wearing the same exact thing, and he felt it had naturally just become a part of his brand, or really, his “show time uniform”, as he put it. His band got a kick out of it, and they’d always call him “Chief” as a joke about his look before he went on stage: “The band starting joking with me, when I put the hat and sunglasses on, they go ‘Alright, its Chief time, Chief’s here.’ Well, Chief became my nickname on the road, really as a joke…I laughed about it…but what they didn’t know, the really cool part of the story, my grandpa was the chief of police in Granite Falls, North Carolina. Everybody called him ‘Chief’. Everybody. My dad called him chief as his son-in-law, so it was just very neat to me, that across generations, it became my nickname naturally and nobody knew about it being my grandpa’s nickname, nobody.” How cool is that? I have to imagine it meant a lot for him to be part of this event, and Governor Stein called it a “pleasure” to present Eric with the flag of North Carolina alongside the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, noting how proud his grandfather would be of everything he’s done for NC: “It was a pleasure to present Eric Church with the flag of North Carolina alongside the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. Eric’s grandfather served as the Chief of Police of Granite Falls, and I know he’d be proud that Eric is continuing to give back to their community. Eric, we are grateful North Carolina keeps calling you home.” It’s very much deserved, and it’s great to see him getting recognition for all of the hard work he’s put in for his fellow North Carolinians, something he no doubt learned, and saw in -action, from his grandpa Rusty. You can see some of the photos here: View this post on Instagram Eric also treated everyone to a performance of “Carolina,” which you can watch here: View this post on Instagram Eric is also slated to give the keynote address at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s spring commencement in May. Until then, he will continue his trek on his 2026 Free the Machine tour, which continues tonight in Washington, D.C. You can view the full list of dates below. 2026 Free the Machine Tour Dates: Jan. 22 || Washington, D.C. || The Anthem || Caylee Hammack Jan. 23 || Washington, D.C. || The Anthem || Caylee Hammack Feb. 5 || Omaha, Neb. || CHI Health Center || Ella Langley Feb. 6 || Sioux Falls, S.D. || Denny Sanford PREMIER Center || Ella Langley Feb. 7 || St. Paul, Minn. || Grand Casino Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 12 || Toronto, Ont. || Scotiabank Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 13 || Buffalo, N.Y. || KeyBank Center || Ella Langley Feb. 14 || Albany, N.Y. || MVP Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 19 || North Little Rock, Ark. || Simmons Bank Arena || 49 Winchester Feb. 20 || Kansas City, Mo. || T-Mobile Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 21 || St. Louis, Mo. || Enterprise Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 26 || Tulsa, Okla. || BOK Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 27 || Fort Worth, Texas || Dickies Arena || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 28 || Austin, Texas || Moody Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Mar. 5 || Knoxville, Tenn. || Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center || 49 Winchester Mar. 6 || Greensboro, N.C. || First Horizon Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 7 || North Charleston, S.C. || North Charleston Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 19 || Birmingham, Ala. || Legacy Arena at the BJCC || 49 Winchester Mar. 20 || Atlanta, Ga. || State Farm Arena || 49 Winchester Mar. 27 || Hollywood, Fla. || Hard Rock Live || Kashus Culpepper Apr. 3 || Greenville, S.C. || Bon Secours Wellness Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 4 || Charlotte, N.C. || Spectrum Center || Ashley McBryde Apr. 10 || Jacksonville, Fla. || VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 11 || Tampa, Fla. || Benchmark International Arena || Ashley McBrydeThe post Eric Church Honored By The North Carolina Association Of Chiefs Of Police For His Personal Ties To Law Enforcement & Philanthropic Efforts For Home State first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Sounds like Koe Wetzel is ready to drop some new music. Over the last several months, he’s been teasing songs, and he has already confirmed that he’s recorded two records over the past year… so there’s a lot of stuff that’s just waiting to be released, and I’m sure fans will be happy to hear that. During a recent interview with Country Countdown USA, Koe describes it as “piles and piles” of music, which will all be dropping 2026, though of course he’s given no indication in terms of a timeline or any solid release dates. Still, if he’s planning on putting out that much music in a year, surely he’s got to starting releasing at least some of it soon, especially considering how long it’s been since he put out his most recent studio album, which was 2024’s 9 Lives: “Yeah, we’re coming, man. We got piles and piles of new music stored away. All dropping in 2026. I’m going back to write here, once the holidays are through we’re going to start on some more new music. So, 2025 for us was just kind of a rebuild year. You know, we toured with Hardy, and it was just kind of a we got in the studio and cut as much music as possible in 2025, and we did that. We got one hell of a record, you know, I think. In my opinion, every artist is going to say that their newest record is the best one that they’ve ever done. But for me, this batch of songs and this sound that we’ve kind of come together with, it’s awesome. This whole new sound to me has continued, and it’s… I don’t know, we’re really excited about it.” Koe shared a taste of the new music he’s been working on with fans in a video with several snippets from songs that are seemingly going to be on the first album coming out this year, and over on Instagram, he shared a longer one of a song called “Time Goes On,” along with the caption: “Bout that time…” This one finds him reminiscing on how fast time goes even when the days feel long, and I imagine it will be out in the next several weeks or so, so stay tuned… View this post on Instagram Just a couple of weeks ago, he shared another teaser video on Instagram, where you can hear him talking about the aforementioned song “Time Goes On”: “That’s a good one. That might be one of my favorites off the record, man. That’s insane; that’s good.”  He once again hinted in the caption there that it is set to be released soon, saying: “Ready for this new chapter to start” When you’re a fan of any particular artist, the ongoing teasing of music like this can feel like a special form of torture, but I really don’t think you’ll have to wait much longer at all to at least hear this one: View this post on Instagram But he’s The post “Bout That Time”: Koe Wetzel Previews Next Chapter With New Single Teaser, “Time Goes On” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

on behalf of Country Music fans everywhere, thank you for choosing music ?

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