Is this the year we finally get a full-blown country record from Koe Wetzel? Koe Wetzel, soon-to-be dad, has promised his fans that he will release a true blue, ’90s country record. While yes, technically, Koe falls into the country genre, his gritty sound leans more toward the side of Southern rock and alternative. Packed with a lot of emotion, Koe’s music tends to lend itself to rowdy fans looking to have a goodtime, or those looking to mend a broken heart at the bottom of a bottle; however, on his last record, we saw a much more vulnerable side of Koe. Throughout 9 Lives, Koe wrestles with the idea of being a rockstar, but also wanting to settle down. We find him trying to balance the good time and the quiet time. When he released the album last summer and the more time fans spent with the songs, there was some speculation that Koe was ready to settle down and stop living such a wild life, and he’s confirmed as much… he doesnt party nearly as hard as he used to. But for some fans, seeing his vulnerable side welcomed the idea that the authentic country record could be coming sooner rather than later. Well, fans nailed the settling down part as Koe recently announced he is expecting to become a father this year. He and his long-time on-and-off girlfriend Bailey Fisher shocked the internet when they posted maternity photos, noting that they will have a baby girl later this year. “Our sweetest blessing. Just over halfway with baby girl.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bailey Fisher (@baileyfshr) Now fans wonder if the country record piece of the puzzle is also in the words as today, Wetzel shared an image on his Instagram story that he’s back in the studio: What a year 2025 would be… Wetzel has said on more than one occasion that he will make an authentic country record when he turns 30. And then he clarified back in 2022 while chatting with Steve and Wes for an episode of Whiskey Riff Raff. Koe said the following: “And I meant it, I am gonna put out a country record, but it’s not, I mean, I didn’t mean literally the day I turned 30 I was gonna put it out. So everybody’s like all pissed off, they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s fake, he tells lies to everybody, you know. He said he was gonna put one out when he was 30, it’s been like 38 days’ or some sh*t. It is happening, and sh*t it might be honestly when I’m 31, but whatever. As long as it’s around that time.” Koe also noted that he wants to take his time with the record and make it authentic, as he respects the genre (despite what some fans think). His mother inspired him to lean into the roots of traditional country, as she often sang to him and his siblings growing up. You’re missing out if you haven’t heard Mother Wetzel sing Patsy Cline. “I’ve been writing a lot for it, but like I said, I want it to be like a ’90s country man, just kinda everything that I grew up on, you know, shit like that. For it to be authentic, not, you know, just a bunch of bullshit. And if we go in and we cut the record and it sounds like I’m forcing something, then I’m not gonna put it out, because I have respect for the fans.” I hope that this is the year we get this record from Wetzel. We have a chance for it to happen as he gains some fatherly wisdom once he welcomes his baby girl into the world. That also means he will have the opportunity to write a father-daughter song, which will 100% make me cry. I can’t help it… it’s my soft spot. Whatever Koe cooks up in the studio is certain to be good. Everyone should say an extra prayer at night that he’s sprinkling some ’90s flare into these studio sessions. If you want to relisten to this episode, you can hear about the country album around the 42:35 mark: The post Is The Year Koe Wetzel Becomes A Father The Year We Get His Promised Full-Blown Country Record? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.