She just does not miss.
Ashley McBryde’s fifth studio album Wild is set to be released on Friday, May 8th, and it will consist of an 11-song tracklist, featuring already-released songs like “Bottle Tells Me So,” “Arkansas Mud,” “Rattlesnake Preacher” and “What If We Don’t.”
They’ve all been great songs, it’s shaping up to be a very impressive album already (not that I expected anything less, of course) and her latest release “Lines In The Carpet” is another heaping does of honesty and reality that so many women can unfortunately relate to.
Written by Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, and Lori McKenna, the story paints a woman many of us likely know, who is caught in an emotionally hollow marriage. She’s a stay-at-home mom, and while of course many women find a ton of joy and fulfillment in that role, there’s plenty who don’t and find themselves emotionally unfulfilled and flat out sad.
The husband enjoys golfing and drinking, and she tends to the kids and makes sure all the meals are always ready, because as McBryde sings, “When you’re born that pretty, you get to be Miss Mississippi and nothing else”:
“He splits his time between the golf course and gin and tonics on the back porch
He don’t talk to her much no more, he only yells
The kids and pot roast keep her busy because when you’re born that pretty
You get to be Miss Mississippi and nothing else
And she won’t tell him, and he ain’t asking
Throw another towel in the laundry basket
She ain’t happy, but what she needs she can’t buy at the supermarket
She’s a mess, but the house is clean as the cover of Better Homes and Gardens
And he can’t read between the lines in the carpet”
Ashley says it’s an anthem that so many women she knows can relate to, and that feeling of being contained “in a relationship, and knowing the person you’re with is “completely oblivious” to everything you feel, can be a form of torture:
“I see so many women I know in this song. There’s no promise in the lyrics that things are going to change or get better—it just stays with that feeling of being contained, and knowing that the person you’re with is completely oblivious to everything you’re feeling.
This record is about getting back in touch with the Wild within. I think part of that means taking a good long look at what keeps us caged.”
I have so much respect for how McBryde approaches her music, she never steers away from writing or cutting songs that are unabashedly honest and forthcoming about struggles many people don’t want to talk about, and it’s just part of what makes her one of the most underrated artists in mainstream country.
Wild is shaping up to be incredibly special, and it’s one of my own most highly-anticipated albums this year.
Do yourself a favor and check it out:
“Lines In The Carpet”
Wild Tracklist
Rattlesnake Preacher (Randall Clay)
Arkansas Mud (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Chris Tompkins)
Water in the River (Randall Clay, Blue Foley, Roger Hodges)
Creosote (Ashley McBryde, Lisa Carver)
Bottle Tells Me So (Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild, Terri Jo Box)
What If We Don’t (Ashley McBryde, Terri Jo Box, Randall Clay)
Lines In The Carpet (Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, Lori McKenna)
Behind Bars (Jeff Hyde, Jessie Alexander, Jon Randall)
Hand Me Downs (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Laura Veltz)
Wild (Jeremy Spillman, Makayla Lynn, Matraca Berg)
Ten to Midnight (Ashley McBryde, Travis Meadows)
he most recently released “Bottle Tells Me So,” which is a stunning track about her aforementioned struggles with alcohol and it’s a must-listen you can check out here:
“Bottle Tells Me So”
“Arkansas Mud”
“Rattlesnake Preacher”
McBryde just wrapped a spring run supporting longtime friend Eric Church, and will open shows for Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton later this year. Full list of upcoming tour dates below.
Ashley McBryde 2026 Tour Dates:
4/17: Nashville, TN – Chief’s Neon Steeple (The Redemption Residency)
4/18: Nashville, TN – Chief’s Neon Steeple (The Redemption Residency)
4/23: Southaven, MS – Wolf Springfest – Bankplus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove
4/24: Vidalia, GA – Vidalia Onion Festival
6/12: Biloxi, MS – IP Casino Resort and Spa
6/19: Rockton, IL – Settler’s Park
6/25: Belfast, UK – Custom House Square Belfast
6/27: London, UK – BST Hyde Park^
7/3: Calgary, AB – Calgary Stampede
7/11: Cavendish, PEI – Cavendish Beach Music Festival
7/30: West Fargo, ND – The Lights Amphitheater
8/1: Riverside, IA – Riverside Casino & Golf Resort Outdoor Stage
8/15: South Bend, IN – St. Joseph County Fairgrounds
8/21: Atlanta, GA – Mercedes-Benz Stadium !
9/1: Toronto, ONT – Rogers Stadium !
^ supporting Garth Brooks
! supporting Chris Stapleton