New music coming in hot! The Red Clay Strays are gifting fans with some new music, and we don’t have to wait long for it. Is it just me, or are those the best kind of single announcements? The Mobile, Alabama, band consisting of Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), Sevans Henderson (keys), and frontman Brandon Coleman, is looking to kick off 2026 strong, carrying some of the breakout momentum into the new year. With a blend of country, soul, blues and rock, they are one of the genre’s brightest modern day acts… even though they insist they aren’t even making country music. In their career thus far, they’ve released two stellar albums (Moment of Truth, Made By These Moments), and there’s another on the way that’s supposed to drop sometime in the summer of 2026. Fans of the band have been waiting for any sort of update on that front ever since they shared their first single from the project, “People Hatin’,” back in October of last year… And now the group has informed fans that another single is on the way. Recently, the Red Clay Strays shared this to let people know that something is coming soon: View this post on Instagram And if you watch that clip thinking to yourself, “Is that Matt Rife?” Yes. That is, in fact, Matt Rife. Matt Rife has previously described the Red Clay Strays as “music for the soul,” so there’s no doubt that he’s a fan of their work. Apparently, that’s so well-known that the band called him up to get him involved. And now it’s been revealed what Rife is involved with. Today, February 4, the Red Clay Strays announced their first single of 2026, and it’s going to be a good one. Not only is it their first single of the year, but it’s also the first love song that the Red Clay Strays have released since their viral 2022 hit “Wondering Why.” “Hard to believe this’ll be our first love song released since ‘Wondering Why.’ Our next single drops Thursday, February 12th, with a kick*ss music video starring our buddy Matt Rife. Gonna be a good Valentine’s this year.” A love song and a music video starring Matt Rife. It sounds like all the stops are getting pulled out for this single release, and I’m here for it. Along with the single announcement, the band shared a snippet of the tune, and the lyrics (as always) are heartfelt and sincere. “If I didn’t know you I wouldn’t know how to love I wouldn’t know what it feels like To be someone’s only one And if I’d never seen your eyes It’s like I’d never seen the sun…” While it took a few years to get another love song from the Red Clay Strays, the wait feels well worth it after hearing the gravity of what love means to them. It’s also very fitting for them to drop a tune professing a love unlike any other right before Valentine’s Day. February 12 can’t get here soon enough. View this post on Instagram The post Red Clay Strays Are Teaming Up With Matt Rife For New Love Song “If I Didn’t Know You” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.