Playlist of the Month: January 2026

Starting off the new year with a long playlist; while I didn’t quite get through my entire “music to listen to” backlog, I made significant progress. If I did new year’s resolutions, I would maybe retroactively claim “get through that backlog” as one of them.

Anyhow, you can listen to the whole playlist, or read on for some notes on various tracks. I’m still playing with the formatting of these to see what winds up being the easiest to skim through for the comments.

Oklahoma Smokeshow – Zach Bryan on Summertime Blues – EP

Hotel Bible – Max McNown on Night Diving

Azalea Place – Max McNown on Night Diving

St. Helens Alpenglow – Max McNown on St. Helens Alpenglow – Single

Flicker – Yoste on Flicker – Single

American Trail – Dylan Gossett on Westward

Normal Day – Brendan Walter on Normal Day – Single

Space in My Heart (Original Version) – Enrique Iglesias on Space in My Heart (Original Version) – Single

Sea Shanty Medley – Home Free on Sea Shanty Medley – Single

The Barn – Landon Smith on The Barn – Single

Loud and Heavy – Cody Jinks on Adobe Sessions

Did What You Did – Noah Brigden on Bad Habits – EP

Life’s Worth Living – Nick Folwarczny on Life’s Worth Living – Single

Cold Shoulder – Zach John King on Slow Down – EP

Life Behind Bars – Zach John King & Bayker Blankenship on Life Behind Bars – Single

Man of the Year – Sam Barber on Man of the Year – Single

Bowery (feat. Kings of Leon) – Zach Bryan on Bowery (feat. Kings of Leon) – Single

HIGHWAY KIND – Fabrizio on HIGHWAY KIND – Single

Space – Zach John King on Space – Single

Gun To My Head – HARDY on COUNTRY! COUNTRY!

Music for the Soul – Sam Barber on Music for the Soul

Luckiest Man Alive – HARDY on COUNTRY! COUNTRY!

American Vintage – Aidan Canfield on American Vintage – Single

Cheap Shots – Ian Harrison on Cheap Shots – Single

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Bedrooms In The Sky – HARDY & Stephen Wilson Jr. on COUNTRY! COUNTRY!

Lose A Friend – Evan Honer on Everything I Wanted

The Gold – Manchester Orchestra on A Black Mile To The Surface

Old White Lincoln – The Gaslight Anthem on The ’59 Sound

Storytime – Majik on Blood, Sweat & Tears

Road to Gold – Luke Beling on The Good Side of Somewhere – EP

Oh! The Anxiety – Joe Jordan on Oh! The Anxiety – EP

Baptized By Rain – Dylan Gossett on Westward

Drift Away – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Leave Her Johnny – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Undone (The Bonfire Sessions) – Sons of Habit on The Sticks (The Bonfire Sessions) – EP

We’re Onto Something (feat. Zach Bryan) – Kings of Leon on We’re Onto Something (feat. Zach Bryan) – Single

Hardwired – Fabrizio on Hardwired – Single

Lonely Man (One Take Acoustic) – Cody Jinks on Lonely Man (One Take Acoustic) – Single

Skull and Bones (2025 Version) – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Something Wicked This Way Comes – Cody Jinks on In My Blood

The Parting Glass – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Foolish Pride – Slater Nalley on Foolish Pride – Single

My Side Of Town – Josh Ross on Later Tonight

Bonnie Ship the Diamond – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Mingulay Boat Song – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Roots – Cooper Alan on Winston – Salem

Challenge the Sea (feat. The Longest Johns) – Home Free on Challenge the Sea

Got It All Wrong – Peech. on Small Town America (Vol. 1) – EP

Atchafalaya (feat. Noah Cyrus) – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

My Side of the Mountain – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Absolutely delighted to have some more Orville Peck to listen to.

Te Amo – Rihanna on Rated R

Pipe Dream – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

Blueneck (Acoustic) – Chris Housman on Blueneck (Acoustic) – Single

All The Little Sheep – Kings of Leon on EP #2

You in Universe – Hayden Calnin on Middle Night

Alright, Alright – Harry Strange on Alright, Alright – Single

S.S.R.I – Jason Skynet on S.S.R.I – Single

This feels like some kind of inverse of Drugs, a song that I last had on my playlist in February of 2024. (The ability to quickly look stuff like that up is one fun side effect of doing these monthly write-ups.)

Fool’s Gold (The Bonfire Sessions) – Sons of Habit on The Sticks (The Bonfire Sessions) – EP

the floor (fred remix) – Skin On Skin, BEAM & Fred again.. on USB

Come Back Home – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

Fishing Line – Max McNown on Both Sides of the Blade

La Perla – ROSALÍA & Yahritza Y Su Esencia on LUX

The Worst By Far – Cameron Whitcomb on The Hard Way (Deluxe)

The Other Side – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

A War With Time – Brandi Carlile on Returning To Myself (Commentary Album)

Oh My Days – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Back On Deseret – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

This did, in fact, send me on a “have I been pronouncing ‘Desert’ wrong this whole time?” research spiral, so allow me to save you the time: no.

Sober You Ain’t Thinkin’ – Noah Brigden on Sober You Ain’t Thinkin’ – Single

Writing On The Rooftop (The Bonfire Sessions) – Sons of Habit on The Sticks (The Bonfire Sessions) – EP

Teenage Dirtbag – Brendan Walter on Teenage Dirtbag – Single

Just Friends – Daniel Allan & Heather Sommer on Just Friends – Single

Enemigos – Ozuna, Beéle & Ovy On the Drums on Stendhal

doomsday – Shaller on doomsday – Single

I’m Always On Stage – Sam Fender on People Watching (Deluxe Edition)

Desire – Fil Bo Riva on Desire – Single

Deep End – Peech. on Deep End – Single

Change (Inspired by Warhammer 40K) – Colm R. McGuinness on The Undying (Inspired by Warhammer 40K) – EP

Pikito – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

Sympathy Is A Knife – Medium Build & Sydney Rose on Sympathy Is A Knife – Single

Finish Line – Fabrizio on Finish Line – Single

Window In The Wall – Max McNown on Both Sides of the Blade

I Luv U – Fred again.. & Wallfacer on I Luv U – Single

GET OVER YOU (BIG AND STRONG VERSION) – verygently on GET OVER YOU (BIG AND STRONG VERSION) – Single

hurt people – Khalid on after the sun goes down

Tyrants – Sam Fender on People Watching (Deluxe Edition)

Charon Retires – Vincent Lima on To Love A Thing That Fades

Songs I’d Rather Not Sing – The Fray on Songs I’d Rather Not Sing – Single

Home Used To Be – Joe Jordan on Home Used To Be – Single

Definitely a top pick addition this month, really hits that wistfulness that I think is the core of country music.

Asking for a Friend – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

MACHINE GHOST – Erin LeCount on MACHINE GHOST – Single

Caroline (feat. Belle Plaine) – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

My friend said “you listen to a lot of ‘sad cowboy’ country, you should check out Colter Wall.”

Sleeping on the Blacktop – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

… he was absolutely right, and this isn’t the last of the Colter Wall that made it into this list, although I think these two are my favorites.

No One Knows Us – Brandi Carlile on Returning To Myself (Commentary Album)

All I Know – Tors on All I Know – Single

Alone – P.A.V on Alone – Single

26 – Christian Hayes on 26 – EP

C’est la vie bébé – Aika Collins on C’est la vie bébé – Single

Aika’s got some new music coming out sometime soon and I’m excited.

Dreaded Sundown – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

No One’s Gonna Do It for You – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

Old Flame – Vincent Mason on There I Go

Someone Around – Nick Folwarczny on Someone Around – EP

It’s the End of the World – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Really, truly love Orville Peck’s music. Turns out the thing I needed to get me into country was “sad cowboy ballads, but make it gay.”

Tumbleweed – Noah Rinker on The Pines – EP

Au Pays du Cocaine – Geese on Getting Killed

Bible Belt – Chris Housman on Bible Belt – Single

Devotion – Waves_On_Waves, Castles Made Of Sky & Waves On Waves Orange Crush on Devotion – Single

Pink Skies – Noah James on Pink Skies – Single

“The kids are in town for a funeral” really hits.

Jane – Amber Run on Jane – Single

Back Around – Ole 60 on Smokestack Town

Johnny Boy’s Bones (feat. The Dead South) – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

This one feels oddly related to the sea shanties that’re also in this list.

Living on the Sand – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

Everywhere I Go – P.A.V on Everywhere I Go – Single

Ale – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

I keep wanting to read it as “ale” as in the word in “India pale ale,” but no, that’s not how Spanish pronunciation works.

You Deserve Better – Joe Jordan on You Deserve Better – Single

How I Got My Name – honestav on How I Got My Name – Single

yes no maybe – Khalid on after the sun goes down

LE COSE NON DETTE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Mahmood on LE COSE NON DETTE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Single

Oh, I love Mahmood, this one is great.

Ballad of a Law Abiding Sophisticate – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

Last Colter Wall I’m going to comment on this month; this one wins for funniest lyrics.

medicine – Khalid on after the sun goes down

Rodeo – Noah Rinker on The Pines – EP

S. Machine – Westerman on A Jackal’s Wedding

Ben Affleck – Medium Build on takeaways

Ride On – Coleman Jennings on Ride On – EP

Hell If I Know – Tyler Nance on Hell If I Know – Single

Really solid chorus; at some point I’m really going to have to listen to the rest of the lyrics.

My People – H. Kenneth on My People – Single

These Streets I Know – Jenny on Holiday on Quicksand Heart

For all the wistful country in here, this one isn’t country but maybe has the most wistful feel to the whole thing. Something about it is really latching onto the feeling of the late 90s/early aughts.

WE WERE NEVER JUST FRIENDS – Adam Klobi on WE WERE NEVER JUST FRIENDS – Single

I Don’t Care – Buffalo Traffic Jam on I Don’t Care – Single

Falling – Shimza & Elderbrook on Falling – Single

Bound – Darren Kiely on Bound – Single

Graveyard Whistling – Morgan Wallen on Graveyard Whistling – Single

Last-minute addition, this, and I’ve been really digging it.