Independent Country duo Muscadine Bloodline – Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton – have been forging their own path in the genre. Refusing to compromise on their musical vision and taking full control of their careers, the duo formed in 2015 and have built a solid fanbase through their releases and relentless touring schedule. Today, the band releases new album ‘Dispatch to 16th Ave.’, the follow-up to their 2020 album ‘Burn it at Both Ends’.
Across 9 songs, Muscadine Bloodline allow themselves to be bold and unfiltered in a way they likely never could be if they were on a label. The pair have co-writer credits on each of the tracks and they’ve collaborated with the likes of Casey Beathard (‘Hung Up On You’), Jordan Fletcher (“Dyin’ For a Livin’”) and Brent Cobb (‘No, Pedal Steel’, ‘Down in Alabama’). What’s clear from the off is that ‘Dispatch to 16th Ave.’ isn’t about chasing radio play or mainstream support. This is an album that is authentic and comes from a very real place, reflecting the experiences and views of Muncaster and Stanton.
The album opens with ‘Dispatch to 16th Ave.’, a song that pulls no punches as the duo take aim at the Nashville machine and the way it can shun artists for not wanting to fit in to the current sound. They comment on how Music Row prioritises making money over artistic quality, and it’s a damning indictment of a place that’s held so dear in the hearts of the genre and aspiring artists who dream of making the move to Nashville.
The subject switches for the traditional Country of ‘My Side of Town’, a song about struggling to see an ex parading around with her new man. The group pleads with an ex to ‘stay the hell away from my side of town’. It’s a lyric anyone who has suffered heartbreak can relate to and it shows that there’s a lot more to Muscadine Bloodline than biting commentary about the current state of Country music. The tempo increases for the storming ‘Dead On Arrival’, a revenge tale about a man going after the man who has been having an affair with his wife. It makes Carrie Underwood’s ‘Before He Cheats’ look pretty tame by comparison.
Elsewhere on the record the duo celebrates their roots on the acoustic-driven ‘Southern’, bring out the guitars on the foot-stomping anthem “Dyin’ For a Livin’” which explores the struggle of being an artist, and ‘No, Pedal Steel’ strips things down for a tear-jerker ballad that’s a sharp contrast to what’s come before. The highlight on the record is the gentle ‘The Toll’, which tells the story of a love that’s taking its toll and grinding someone down.
Muscadine Bloodline remain a unique proposition in Country music and that goes in their favour. By setting their own rules and following their guts, the duo has created something truly special that ensures they stand out from the identical mainstream artists clogging up the charts. On ‘Dispatch to 16th Ave.’ they further realise their potential and they put in an early contender for Country album of the year, just two months into 2022.
Track list: 1. Dispatch to 16th Ave. 2. My Side of Town 3. Dead on Arrival 4. Hung Up On You 5. Southern 6. The Toll 7. Dyin’ for a Livin’ 8. No, Pedal Steel 9. Down in Alabama Record label: Stancaster Music, LLC Release date: 4th February 2022 Buy ‘Dispatch to 16th Ave.’ now
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