I had honestly entirely forgotten this was Pride Month, but as it turns out, I’m really starting to collect queer country artists, so I guess I was accidentally celebrating it a little bit.
As usual, you can listen to the entire playlist, and read below for my commentary on a few tracks.
- Oklahoma Smokeshow – Zach Bryan on Summertime Blues – EP
- Azalea Place – Max McNown on Night Diving
- American Trail – Dylan Gossett on Westward
- Normal Day – Brendan Walter on Normal Day – Single
- The Barn – Landon Smith on The Barn – Single
- Loud and Heavy – Cody Jinks on Adobe Sessions
- Life Behind Bars – Zach John King & Bayker Blankenship on Life Behind Bars – Single
- Baptized By Rain – Dylan Gossett on Westward
- Oh My Days – Orville Peck on Appaloosa
- Caroline (feat. Belle Plaine) – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia
- Sleeping on the Blacktop – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia
- 26 – Christian Hayes on 26 – EP
- It’s the End of the World – Orville Peck on Appaloosa
- Pink Skies – Noah James on Pink Skies – Single
- Johnny Boy’s Bones (feat. The Dead South) – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia
- You Deserve Better – Joe Jordan on You Deserve Better – Single
- How I Got My Name – honestav on How I Got My Name – Single
- Bound – Darren Kiely on Bound – Single
- Graveyard Whistling – Morgan Wallen on Graveyard Whistling – Single
- Connection – Majik on Connection – Single
- Left Or Right – Ethan Miller on Wealthy
- Monsters – Majik on Monsters – Single
- Withdrawals – Ethan Miller on Withdrawals – Single
- Eleni – Norra & Ethnic Lounge on Eleni – EP
- Double Days – Aidan Canfield on Double Days – Single
- CD Player – Majik on CD Player – Single
- Talkin’ About Jesus – Jonah Kagen on Talkin’ About Jesus – Single
- All the Things She Said – Harrison on All the Things She Said – Single
- Hymn of the Holler – American Jackals on Hymn of the Holler – Single
- Tití Me Preguntó – Bad Bunny on Un Verano Sin Ti
- DtMF – Bad Bunny on DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
- FKN Hate You – honestav & JaYy Wick on FKN Hate You – Single
- 0.0 – Ethan Miller on 0.0 – Single
- Home – Majik on Home – Single
- Imaginary Heaven – Jake Wells on WELLS
- Dog House – Dylan Cotrone on Dog House – EP
- One – Majik on One – Single
- Ways Away – Tyler Nance on Midwest Memoir
- Loretta’s Song – Home Free on Loretta’s Song – Single
- Dirt on Me – Chris Housman on Dirt on Me – Single
- flight mode (feat. RAKEL) – arfi on flight mode (feat. RAKEL) – Single
- no outline – Lauren Auder on Whole World As Vigil
- Breakfast – Ethan Miller on Before You Know It – EP
- Boots on the Ground – Massive Attack & Tom Waits on Boots on the Ground – Single
- no regrets – Dimside & Yung Toro on no regrets – Single
- HEY, MA (Live – July 23 2023 – Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago, Il.) – Bon Iver on VOLUMES: ONE (SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND)
- Porch Light – Noah Kahan on The Great Divide
- Burn Me – Jonah Kagen & Sam Barber on Burn Me – Single
- California Sober – Matt Schuster on California Sober – Single
- Yellow – Emmit Fenn on Yellow – Single
- One More Round (Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons) – Colm R. McGuinness on A Troll Is Not A Familiar (Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons) – EP
- You’re Not The Same (Demo Version) – Yoste on You’re Not The Same (Demo Version) – Single
- Shadow Of A Man (Apple Music Live) – Lady Gaga on Apple Music Live: MAYHEM Requiem
- The End of Me – Ike Dweck on The End of Me – Single
- Party’s In The Back – DELTONA on Party’s In The Back – Single
- ¡BASTA YA! (Snow Tha Product Remix) – Cain Culto, Xiuhtezcatl & Snow Tha Product on ¡BASTA YA! (Snow The Product Remix) – Single
- Secondhand Smoke – Allman Brown on Secondhand Smoke – Single
- Midwest Memoir – Tyler Nance on Midwest Memoir
- KFC Santería – Cain Culto on KFC Santería – Single
- Victim Of Luck – Metric on Romanticize The Dive
- RUNWAY – Lady Gaga & Doechii on The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Music From The Motion Picture)
- Back to You – Cody Oliphant on When I Go – EP
- ORIGAMI! – Kesha on ORIGAMI! – Single
- Keeps Me Sane – Tyler Nance on Midwest Memoir
- Something to Someone – Max McNown on Something to Someone – Single
- As I Get Older – Peech. & Nevi on Small Town America, Vol. 2
- Set Free (The Bonfire Sessions) – Noah James & The Sticks on The Bonfire Sessions – EP
- Play Your Games – Greta Van Fleet on Play Your Games – Single
- Slotting right back into that classic rock feeling.
- Doors – Noah Kahan on The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs
- Already Know – The Chainsmokers & Oaks on Love Is Kind – EP
- Flood (feat. Bon Iver) – Dua Saleh & Bon Iver on Of Earth & Wires
- Til Dawn – Landon Wilks on Young and Restless
- Confetti – Aquilo on Confetti – EP
- Orbiter – Noah Kahan on The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs
- If I Die Young, Pt. 2 – Kimberly Perry on Bloom – EP
- Similar to how I feel about the arc of Blue October from Hate Me to Home, this is a heartstring-pulling follow-up to If I Die Young.
- Crush Forever – Metric on Romanticize The Dive
- Chinese American Bear Anthem (华裔美国熊之歌) – Chinese American Bear on Dim Sum & Then Some
- Letters to the Grave – Vahid Beats on Chemical – Single
- BIMBAMBAU – Cain Culto on BIMBAMBAU – Single
- Run – Sam Barber on Broken View
- Charlie Brown – Rolipso on Charlie Brown – Single
- Hardy (feat. Clairo) – Rostam on American Stories
- Broken (Demo Version) – Yoste on Broken (Demo Version) – Single
- Kids Like Us – The Cowgays, Adam Mac, Brooke Eden & Chris Housman on Kids Like Us – Single
- I’m really enjoying this queer country supergroup.
- Tremolo – Metric on Romanticize The Dive
- Something about this just really hits the feeling of Joan Jett’s I Love Rock ’n’ Roll, and I love it.
- Holding On – Bailey Zimmerman on Different Night Same Rodeo
- Untouched (feat. The Veronicas) – Harrison on Untouched (feat. The Veronicas) – Single
- Keep Away (feat. Bon Iver) – Dua Saleh & Bon Iver on Of Earth & Wires
- I Wanna Go Home (我想回家) – Chinese American Bear on Dim Sum & Then Some
- The Big Bad Wolf – Vince Staples on Cry Baby
- Leave Her Johnny (Woodkid Resynced) – Woodkid on Leave Her Johnny (Woodkid Resynced) – Single
- Cotton – Vince Staples on Cry Baby
- edamame (feat. Rich Brian) – bbno$ on eat ya veggies
- Wonderfully rhythmic, really gets onto a roll immediately.
- Cowman – Chris Housman on Cowman – Single
- Rollicking fun, and the chorus line of “I don’t want a cowboy, I want a cowman” is great.
- Seneca Guns – Wesko on Familiar Spirits – EP
- I think this is my favorite addition this month. It also sent me off on a whole thing, making a conspiracy wall in my head. I have theories now. Well, okay, I have a theory now, but pulling together evidence made me feel like one of the “Taylor Swift is sending us secret messages” people, which, as it turns out, can be kinda fun as long as you keep the level of investment in it low.1
- Used To Be – Cam Bogle on Used To Be – Single
- TV Guide – Vince Staples on Cry Baby
- DJ Turn It Down – Boy Throb & Kesha on DJ Turn It Down – Single
- Kesha is absolutely hilarious. “This party’s way to loud, DJ, turn it down!”
- A Troll Is Not A Familiar (Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons) – Colm R. McGuinness on Guild-Maxxing (Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons) – EP
- McGuinness’ whole album is pretty entertaining, but this is my favorite one so far.
- Do You Know The Devil – Vince Staples on Cry Baby
- First time I can think of hearing a track use a baby crying as a rhythmic element, and it works astonishingly well.
- The Subway – Chappell Roan on The Subway – Single
- Glow (feat. Bon Iver) – Dua Saleh & Bon Iver on Of Earth & Wires
- party 4 u – Charli xcx on how i’m feeling now
- Salem Witch – Lilith Max on Salem Witch – Single
- Afterlife – Evanescence on Sanctuary
- Mi Yo De Antes – Ozuna on Mi Yo De Antes – Single
- Source – Sleeping At Last on Source – Single
- Crash First – honestav & mgk on Sweet American Boy
- cucuru – Cain Culto on cucuru – Single
- Same Old Things (The Bonfire Sessions) – Noah James & The Sticks on The Bonfire Sessions – EP
- THRIFT STORE JACKET – Couvo on THRIFT STORE JACKET – Single
- Good Hoedown – The Cowgays, Adam Mac, Brooke Eden & Chris Housman on Good Hoedown – Single
- C’mon, “can’t keep a good hoe down at a good hoedown” is, objectively, hilarious
- My theory: Wesko is queer.
My evidence: Hunting Ghosts is clearly in the country sub-genre of “sad country boy sings about his ex.” In the music video, so far as I’m able to tell, the ghost is played by a man.
Where it turned into a conspiracy wall: I went through the lyrics of every track on that EP, and a couple other tracks from his oeuvre, and he generally does a great job of avoiding gendered pronouns for people he’s interested in. The only song where he doesn’t do that “if I never mention a gender, people will assume heterosexuality” thing? Lies. ↩