Country-pop has seen a rise in popularity in recent years, with artists like Beyonce and Post Malone recently taking steps and influence in the genre. However, Nashville-based artist townsend has taken the blend of genres to a whole new level with his latest release, “hard truth.” Country vocals and lyrics are accompanied with electronic dance pop, which often sounds forced and odd but townsend makes the two styles complement each other perfectly.
The song starts with a traditional guitar melody and vocals. However, it’s not long until a dance-pop drum machine takes the forefront. Just the guitar and vocal delivery is all the song needs to stay grounded in its country stylings, which lets townsend go wild on the drum machine and bass synth. Yet, the artist makes sure to have separate sections dedicated to each genre in the first half of the song, making the growing interaction between the instrumentation feel more natural as the song progresses.
Something that makes this blend of genres work so well is that the American-accented vocal delivery is so identifiable as country that even as the dance-pop instrumentation takes over, the listener can still find an element of country during the entire song. By the outro, the instrumentation returns to the simple guitar and vocals, giving the song a full-circle moment.
Lyrically, townsend doesn’t deviate from the stereotypical themes and narratives of traditional country music. The pre-chorus, “it was one step forward / then six shots back,” shows a relationship on the brink and plagued by alcoholism. While the lyrics may seem a little unoriginal, straying too far from the characteristics of a country song may have made the genre blend a bit harder to read.
Overall, townsend delivers a fun blend of two genres that people tend to avoid mixing. The artist’s ability to balance and wisely choose which genre characteristics to blend makes the song stand out and work surprisingly well.
You can listen to “hard truth” wherever you find your music.
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