Lauren Watkins first made waves with her full-length debut ‘The Heartbroken Record' in 2024, quickly winning over fans with her raw storytelling, smoky voice and blend of heartbreak and resolve. Born and raised just outside Nashville, she was steeped in country music from a young age—growing up mesmerised by outlaw sounds and the voices of Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow and Chris Stapleton. After planting roots with a marketing degree at Ole Miss, she returned to Music City where her unyielding dedication—writing, performing covers and sharing online clips—caught the attention of singer-songwriters like Nicolle Galyon, earning her publishing and recording contracts with Songs & Daughters and Big Loud Records. Her early work showed both a reverence for country’s traditions and a readiness to push, fusing classic influences with her own perspective.
‘In A Perfect World' marks Watkins’s second studio album and finds her at a place of balance—navigating the whirlwind of sold-out shows and big stages with the grounding calm of building a home with her husband. Across ten tracks she leans into that duality: songs like ‘Lose My Cool' crackle with energy, while tracks such as ‘Average Joe & Plain Jane' and ‘Marlboro Man' offer tender moments of reflection. Produced by her husband Will Bundy, with help from co-producers like Joey Moi, the album is rich in collaboration, with writing partners including Trannie Anderson, Rodney Clawson and Natalie Hemby. Watkins is not just growing her discography—she’s growing into the person her music has always promised to show: honest, grounded and deeply real.
Lauren Watkins isn’t chasing perfection. In fact, on her sophomore album ‘In a Perfect World,' she makes the case that the cracks, the scuffs and the mess are what make life—and love—worth singing about. Across ten tightly plotted tracks, the newly married singer-songwriter threads together wit, heartache and a sly retro charm that feels at once timeless and sharply modern. It’s country music that nods to its history while stretching confidently into new territory.
The title track sets the tone with a breezy Countrypolitan shimmer, its 1950s suburban veneer as deliberate as it is playful. “In a perfect world, we’d never fight but we’d never make up,” Watkins sings with a wink, teasing out the truth that the beauty of love is found in its imperfections. Co-written with her sister and longtime collaborator Caroline Watkins, the opener feels like a mission statement: polished on the surface, but knowingly human at its core.
She pivots sharply on ‘Love Is Tough,' a drum-driven stomp that pairs pop gloss with country grit. It finds Watkins exploring love as a mystery—“Love’s a mystery that is hard to find”—and leaning into a new sound that evokes Sheryl Crow trading licks with early Kacey Musgraves. For a singer often associated with smoky barroom numbers, this is fresh ground, and it suits her. The track is big, breezy and undeniably catchy.
That sense of energy continues with ‘I’ll Get Through It,' a rollicking barroom anthem of resilience rather than regret. “I’ll get through the bad in your goodbye… just like you walking out that door, I’ll get through it,” she insists, her delivery both cheeky and empowering. With its Sheryl Crow strut and Lainey Wilson-tinged sonics—thanks to co-writer Trannie Anderson—it’s one of Watkins’ most confident moments to date.
But Watkins also knows when to slow things down. ‘Marlboro Man' is a smoky ballad straight out of classic country lore, complete with weeping pedal steel. Here she wonders what became of the rugged cowboy from cigarette ads, crooning, “Bet you I could make him show a softer side.” It’s wistful, mournful and deeply romantic, harking back to the storytelling tradition of Dolly and Loretta while still sounding distinctly her own.
There are playful turns, too. ‘Britches' lets Watkins stretch her honky-tonk sass, going after a conceited rival with relish: “Honey, you should get a prize for the world’s biggest ego.” With its lashings of piano and steel, it’s pure fun—arriving at just the right point in the record to loosen things up. Meanwhile, ‘Average Joe and Plain Jane,' another sisterly co-write, swings the pendulum in the opposite direction, celebrating the “ordinary, sweet, mundane” of everyday love. With its wistful guitar lines and quiet dignity, it’s one of the album’s most quietly affecting songs.
Watkins’ collaborative spirit shines on ‘Slippery Slope,' a duet with John Morgan that captures the magnetic pull of exes who can’t quite let go. His verse—“Why can’t I learn to just walk out, not walk out with you on my arm”—mirrors her red-flag warnings and together they craft a melodic cautionary tale that’s as slick as it is tender. Later, on ‘Lose My Cool,' Watkins embraces a more commercial polish, building to a chorus that’s irresistible in its awkward honesty. Sequencing has rarely been so smart—she knows how to guide a listener through highs and lows without ever losing pace.
The final stretch is where Watkins lands her most classic punches. ‘I Was Fine Before I Met You' drips with retro 70s and 80s stylings, finding her reclaiming her independence with the line, “I was fine before I met you, I was wild and 23.” And then there’s ‘Pretty Please,' the aching closer in which Watkins herself rails against “the second coming of Jolene.” “You say her name and I feel insane,” she admits, insecurities unraveling over pedal steel and twang. It’s a raw, vulnerable finish that lingers long after the last note fades.
‘In a Perfect World' is the kind of album country music desperately needs right now: concise, purposeful and steeped in storytelling that cuts with wit and heart. Watkins moves easily between Sheryl Crow swagger, Kacey Musgraves cleverness, and Loretta Lynn grit, yet always sounds distinctly herself. It’s sharp. It’s fun. It’s heartbreaking. And most importantly, it’s human. Imperfectly, gloriously human.
Tracklist: 1. In A Perfect World 2. Love Is Tough 3. I'll Get Through It 4. Marlboro Man 5. Slippery Slope (feat. John Morgan) 6. Average Joe and Plain Jane 7. Britches 8. Lose My Cool 9. I Was Fine Before I Met You 10. Pretty Please Record Label: Big Loud Release Date: 10th October Buy ‘In a Perfect World' right here
