The Band Loula – Logan Simmons and Malachi Mills are best friends and North Georgia natives who have cultivated a distinctive sound they call “swampgrass,” rooted in haunting acoustic tones, raw harmonies, and compelling storytelling. Their major-label debut came in August 2024 with the release of ‘Don’t Call Me' via Warner Music Nashville, co-written with Dave Barnes, which laid the foundation for their soulful and gritty country aesthetic. They continued building momentum in early 2025 with ‘Running Off the Angels,' a culturally charged, haunting ballad co-written with Peyton Porter. The duo made their Grand Ole Opry debut on May 23, 2025, earning a standing ovation and signalling their arrival as a powerful live act.
Their buzz continued into summer 2025 with the announcement of their debut EP, Sweet Southern Summer, set for release on August 22, 2025 via Warner Music Nashville. The six-track project, produced by John Osborne (Brothers Osborne), includes previously released songs like ‘Can’t Please ‘Em All,' ‘Running Off the Angels' and the title track ‘Sweet Southern Summer.' The latest single, ‘I Love Leavers,' co-written with Marcus Hummon, dropped recently. The duo describes it as “about every no-good fool we should’ve left but didn’t”—a hard-truth anthem for heartbreak and backsliders. Touring has been a major facet of their rise: they’ve supported acts like Brothers Osborne, Ashley McBryde, Paul Cauthen, Elle King and Brent Cobb, and are currently on Dierks Bentley’s ‘Broken Branches Tour.' They also performed at Watershed Festival at The Gorge earlier this month and are slated to join Lukas Nelson’s American Romance Tour in the fall. Additionally, they’ve announced their debut UK live dates in September 2025.
‘Sweet Southern Summer' is a bold introduction to one of country music’s most intriguing new duos. Across six tracks, Logan Simmons and Malachi Mills blend swampy southern grit, gospel flourishes, and bluegrass funk into a sonic palette that feels both familiar and completely fresh. Produced by John Osborne of Brothers Osborne with additional touches from Greg Bieck, the record showcases the duo’s flair for vivid storytelling and razor-sharp harmonies while nodding to the traditions of The Civil Wars, Delta Rae, and even classic rock titans like Led Zeppelin. It’s a record steeped in the textures of southern life—heat, dirt, sin, salvation, and wry humor—and one that demands attention from start to finish.
The EP opens with ‘Running Off the Angels,' a southern-voodoo-tinged anthem carried by Logan's impassioned vocals and an atmospheric fiddle line. “Hallelujah I’ve been saved,” she sings, setting the tone for a tale of devils, angels and redemption in the Bible Belt. With its swampy undertones, the track builds to a crescendo that blurs the line between rootsy folk and classic rock bombast. There’s a dramatic sweep here that recalls The Civil Wars at their most haunting and Delta Rae at their most theatrical, before spiralling into a final section that carries shades of Led Zeppelin’s iconic ‘Stairway to Heaven.' It’s an opening statement that announces The Band Loula as fearless genre-benders.
From there, the title track ‘Sweet Southern Summer' shifts gears into something lighter, warmer and more nostalgic. It begins with the chirrup of cicadas and blossoms into a laid-back tribute to small-town southern life—porches, honeysuckle, catfish, red clay and crickets. The imagery is so vivid you can almost feel the sticky heat and hear the evening hum. The song’s funky, easy groove eventually gives way to a bluegrass-tinged guitar solo that ushers in the final third, turning it into a perfect soundtrack for hot summer Sundays. It’s a postcard of the South that feels lived-in rather than cliché.
‘Can’t Please ’Em All' continues that breezier energy, though with sharper wit. A rhythmic fiddle-banjo-guitar interplay underpins the duo’s sly observations about the impossibility of living up to others’ expectations. “You’re either way too big or way too skinny,” they sing, later tossing off the zinger, “Too Texas for Tennessee.” The list-song structure underscores the theme—no matter what you do, you can’t win them all—and the delivery brims with charm. It’s an anthem that feels playful on the surface but carries a universal truth at its core.
Things turn darker with ‘Karma’s the Devil,' the EP’s standout track and perhaps its most explosive. Opening with Logan's fiery vocals over a Hammond organ, the song begins like a gospel hymn before detonating into a hard-driving mix of slide guitars, pounding percussion and gritty harmonies. “You’re gonna meet your match, karma’s the devil,” she belts, channeling both rage and redemption in equal measure. The groove barrels forward with an energy that wouldn’t be out of place in an ’80s southern rock arena, making it easy to imagine this track tearing the roof off during a live set.
‘I Love Leavers' pulls the EP back into swamp-grass territory, lacing banjo with stomping drums and wry humour. Here Logan rattles off a cast of flawed lovers—“used car dealers, bottom feeders and compulsive cheaters”—with a wink and a grin. It’s a clever spin on heartbreak, a song that turns bad decisions into a foot-stomping rural jam. Greg Bieck's production is particularly sharp here, balancing grit with humour and giving the song a rocking, rootsy edge. It’s one of the clearest glimpses of the duo’s knack for turning life’s struggles into toe-tapping anthems.
The record closes with ‘Who Gets to Heaven,' a gospel-inflected romp that fuses wit with intelligence and musical dynamism. Built on swampy bluegrass rhythms and punctuated by clever time changes, the track muses on who might—or might not—earn a place in the afterlife. With tongue-in-cheek lyrics about sanctimonious folks who think they’re holier-than-thou, the duo advises listeners to ‘bow your head and be a good person' before building to a joyous handclap gospel finale. It’s a rousing closer that reinforces the EP’s central tension between sin and salvation, judgment and grace, all wrapped in a package of irresistible energy.
In the end, ‘Sweet Southern Summer' is an accomplished debut that establishes The Band Loula as one of the most exciting new acts in country and Americana. Across its six tracks, the EP shifts seamlessly from country to gospel to southern-fried rock without ever losing its sense of identity. What ties it together are the duo’s sharp, witty lyrics, their uncanny harmonies and their fearless embrace of the messy, beautiful contradictions of southern life. It’s the kind of record that feels destined to open doors—on stages, on playlists and in hearts. Big things lie ahead for this duo, and this debut proves they’re more than ready.
Track list: 1. Running off the Angels 2. Sweet Southern Summer 3. Can't Please ‘Em All 4. Karma's the Devil 5. I Love Leavers 6. Who Gets to Heaven Release Date: August 22nd Record Label: Warner Music Nashville Buy ‘Sweet Southern Summer' right here
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