Taking the high road.
Today, Koe Wetzel released the fourth single from his forthcoming album 9 Lives called “High Road,” which features guest vocals from Columbia labelmate Jessie Murph.
Written by Koe along with Amy Allen, Carrie Karpinen and producer Gabe Simon, the song finds Koe taking the “high road” both literally and metaphorically, as he finds a different approach to a conflict in a rocky relationship, deciding not to fight back but rather take some time to cool off (which also includes getting stoned, if that wasn’t obvious):
“I can tell that you’re mad
And I ain’t half surprised about that
Since the day that we met
It’s always who cuts first and never who bleeds last
Rumors always turn into yelling and fighting
And once it’s in your mind, only one way you’re driving
I know, I know
I’ma take the high road, baby get stoned
Have a little too much of something terrible
I’ma let you cool down while I walk out
You ain’t messing me up like the times before
I don’t need a ticket to your shit show
Knock yourself out and hit a new low”
Koe says the song shows off a different side of him, and is intended as another evolution in his music and sound:
“‘High Road’ is a good example of how this album shows a different side of me than people might expect. Every record’s almost turning a new leaf, always a left turn because of how honest I am.
But this? It’s what the people have been expecting from me, but we hadn’t gotten there yet. It’s a grown-up version of me.”
The production is definitely in line with what we heard on the previous release “Sweet Dreams,” with a lot of R&B flavor that I do think he pulls off with his rock-infused unique brand of Texas country.
“High Road” does work as a duet in some aspects, and it’s neat to hear the woman’s side of what went down with this fight through Jessie Murph’s feature. I do see some maturity and growth in the fact that when he wrote the song, Wetzel basically called himself out when penning her verse and that part is really intriguing.
It will be interesting to see the fan reaction to this one, because “Sweet Dreams” has already taken on a life of its own and become a fan-favorite. You can listen to “High Road” below.
Koe has released three other song from the record including “9 Lives (Black Cat),” “Damn Near Normal” and “Sweet Dreams.” 9 Lives was produced predominantly by Gabe Simon (Noah Kahan’s Stick Season) alongside a lineup of trusted collaborators like Josh Serrato, Carrie K and Sam Harris (X Ambassadors).
Last week, “Sweet Dreams” became his first song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (which encompasses all musical genres), charting at #47. It also debuted pretty high on the Hot Country Songs chart at #11, becoming Koe’s seventh entry and first top 20 hit. “Wasted,” “Creeps,” “Damn Near Normal,” “Cabo,” “April Showers” and “Money Spent” all also charted on the Hot Country Songs chart.
And with fans already getting a decent taste of what’s to come on the project seeing as the fourth song out now, I think 9 Lives promises to be a refreshing, deeper and more introspective look at Koe and who he is as both a musician and person, which is what he’s hinted at in a lot of interviews about the album recently.
I’ve always felt like Koe has so many layers in terms of his musical taste and writing abilities, and it sounds to me like that will be on full display with this project.
9 Lives is due out everywhere on July 19th.
9 Lives tracklist:
“Continued” Skit
“9 Lives (Black Cat)” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon)
“Casamigos” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Sam Harris, Ben Burgess, Gabe Simon)
“Damn Near Normal” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon, Carrie Karpinen, Sam Harris)
“Leigh” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon)
“Twister” (Ropyr Wetzel, Steve Rusch, Ben Burgess, Josh Serrato)
“High Road” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon, Carrie Karpinen)
“Reconsider” (Charles John Brocco, Keith Quenton Gattis)
“Hatchet” (Gabe Simon, Mike Coogan)
“Sweet Dreams” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Josh Serrato, Gabe Simon, Sam Harris)
“Runnin’ Low” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Sam Harris, Gabe Simon, Ben Burgess)
“Bar Song” (Blake “Shy” Carter, Breyan Isaac, Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Dave Gibson)
“Last Outlaw Alive” (Josh Serrato, Ben Burgess, Sam Harris)
“Sweet Dreams”