Midland is officially back. Since breaking out back in 2017 with their 5x platinum hit, “Drinking Problem,” Midland has remained one of the most fascinating groups in terms of mainstream country music. In case you didn’t know, they’re comprised of Mark Wystrach, who is a former actor turned singer, Jess Carson, a lifelong musician and Cameron Duddy, who was a music video director best known for directing Bruno Mars’ classic, “Uptown Funk.” Over the years, they’ve caught some flak for the admittedly strange backgrounds of two-thirds of their members, as well as their dedication to keeping an incredibly flashy, 70s aesthetic seemingly constantly. Despite this, however, I’d go as far as to say that Midland has remained the best country band in the mainstream over the past decade. Sure, you can question the authenticity as much as you want, but there’s absolutely no denying that hits like “Burn Out” and “Cheatin’ Songs” as well as deep cuts such as “Adios Cowboy” and “I Love You, Goodbye” are not rock-solid tracks that harken back to the oftentimes glitzy nature of 1970s country. After dropping their fifth studio album, Barely Blue, back in 2024 with the likes of Kaitlin Butts and Paul Cauthen and scoring a semi-viral hit with ACM New Female Artist of the Year nominee, MacKenzie Carpenter, on “I Wish You Would,” Midland is back with their next project. Just announced, Midland will be releasing their sixth studio album, Stages, on Friday, June 12th. View this post on Instagram Discussing the album, Duddy, Midland’s bassist/vocalist, would note that Stages serves as a tribute to all the stages and places they’ve been over the past decade. “We’ve gone so many places and done so many things. I think we got to that place in the road where we wanted to pull it all together. The title is really a tribute to all the places where we’ve made our stand, but it’s also about all the phases and stages we’ve been through to get here.” Wystrach, Midland’s frontman, would add that the record, at its core, is about bringing together their Texas and California roots, noting that the marriage between the two is what really matters to them. “And the more you dig into country’s roots, the more there is to work with. We’ve always had real respect for the original Texas and California country, so this album lets us pull all that through the songs we’ve written and found to really focus on what matters to us.” Finally, Carson, Midland’s guitarist/vocalist, would echo Duddy’s sentiment about Stages being a tribute to the band’s life on the road over the years, noting that all the “road dust, sweat and music listened to” can be felt throughout the record. “Nashville, Texas, California, everywhere in between; we’ve been in a pick-up, then a van and finally a bus – it’s all in these songs. The road dust, sweat, music listened to, it all seeps into who we are and what we do.” Overall, Stages will be produced by Trent Willmon (Cody Johnson’s Human: The Double Album) and will include 10 songs. In addition to pre-released tracks, “Marlboro Man, “Glass Half Empty” and the Chris Stapleton co-write, “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey,” the record will include the aforementioned Carpenter duet and a brand new collaboration with “Killin’ Time” singer, Clint Black on “Up In Texas.” Stages’ next single, “Shooting Memories With Tequila,” will be released tonight at midnight. Stages Tracklist “Marlboro Man” (Dean Dillon, Tim Nichols, Josh Thompson) “One Day You Won’t” (Seth Ennis, Mike Robinson, Matt Roy) “Shooting Memories With Tequila” (Ryan Beaver, Joe Clemmons, Mike Walker) “Walk A Mile” (Carson Chamberlain, Wyatt McCubbin, Michael White) “Glass Half Empty” (Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell) “I Wish You Would” (with Mackenzie Carpenter) (Mackenzie Carpenter, Jonathan Hutcherson, Jamie Moore) “Up In Texas” (feat. Clint Black) (Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Josh Osborne, Bryan Simpson) “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey” (Michael Henderson, Chris Stapleton) “Drunk Enough” (Jess Carson, Mark Wystrach, Nathan Barlowe, Jamie Moore) “Vaquero” (Joseph Patton, Brett Sheroky, Dan Wilson) Before you go, fire up their most recent release, “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey.” Midland 2026 Tour Dates 5/7: Corpus Christie, TX – Corpus Rodeo 5/22: Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field 6/6: Nashville, TN – CMA Fest 2026 6/13: Driggs, ID – Ridgeview Pro Rodeo 6/19: Grolloo, NLD – Holland International Blues Festival 2026 6/20: Copenhagen, DK –Tivoli Gardens 6/22: Munich, DE – Backstage Werk 6/24: Paris, FR – Alhambra 6/26: Arendel, Norway – Taste of Country 6/27: Interlaken, CH – Trucker & Country Festival 2026 7/16: Bakersfield, CA – Dignity Health Theater 7/17: Costa Mesa, CA – The Pacific Amphitheatre 7/18: Cabazon, CA – Morongo Casino Resort and Spa 7/21: Sacramento, CA – Cal Expo 7/24: Cardwell, MT – Headwaters Country Jam 2026 7/25: Sundance, UT – Sundance Mountain Resort 8/1: Sidney, MT – Richland County Fair & Rodeo 8/6: Sandpoint, ID – Festival at SandpointThe post Midland Announces New Album, “Stages” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.