Welcome to the newest edition of the Friday Finest Five — your weekly round-up of the most exciting new country releases hitting streaming platforms today. This week it's a heady mix of heartbreak, honkytonks, high school and humour. Let’s dive in!
Ashland Craft – ‘Hangin' Up the Honkytonk
Ashland Craft is giving her ‘Dive Bar Beauty Queen' era a fresh shot of adrenaline, continuing to rework the project through a series of duets and collaborations that breathe new life into its most hard-hitting tracks. The latest comes with Dillon Carmichael stepping in to add his gritty, powerhouse vocal to one of the album’s most reckless and high-energy songs, transforming it into an even bigger, louder statement. Built for neon-lit nights and packed barrooms, the revamped version leans fully into that rowdy, boots-on-the-floor spirit: two voices trading swagger and attitude in a way that feels tailor-made for summer. It’s a smart, organic evolution of the record, keeping its dive bar DNA intact while expanding its reach and giving fans a new reason to revisit the world Craft created the first time around.
Conner Smith – Easy on the Eyes
Conner Smith leans into a lighter, more carefree side of his artistry with his latest release, a sun-soaked track that captures the kind of fleeting, cinematic moments usually reserved for the big screen. Written alongside Hunter Phelps and Daniel Ross during his time out on the road with Thomas Rhett in 2022, the song has long been a personal favourite, and it shows. Built around the feeling of a rom-com scene, with the wind in your hair and a hand drifting through the air from the passenger seat, it trades heavy storytelling for pure, unfiltered joy. After a run of more narrative-driven releases, Smith embraces something looser and more playful here, delivering a track that feels tailor-made for summer drives, open windows and living fully in the moment.
Kameron Marlowe – Running
Kameron Marlowe taps into raw, unfiltered heartbreak with his new song ‘Running,' a track he describes as “pure emotion” from the very first note. Built from a title he’d held onto for years, the song came to life alongside producer Austin Goodloe and songwriter Philip Morgan, quickly evolving into a deeply personal reflection on lost love. At its core, ‘Running' captures the lingering ache of “the one that got away,” balancing passion and pain with the quiet realisation that some people don’t come back. It’s a theme Marlowe leans into with conviction: creating a song that doesn’t just tell a story, but offers a sense of shared experience. As he continues to build a catalogue aimed at every stage of life, this latest release stands as a poignant reminder of those inevitable moments of heartbreak that listeners can hold onto when they need it most.
Ashley Cooke – ‘high school sweetheart'
Ashley Cooke is stepping into a sharper, more self-assured era with her new single ‘high school sweetheart,' a standout from her forthcoming sophomore album ‘ashley cooke' (out August 14). Produced by an all-star team including Dann Huff, alongside Will Weatherly, Jacob Durrett, Spacecamp, Joe Fox and Cooke herself, the track delivers a punchy, unapologetic take on small-town gossip and lingering immaturity. Co-written with Ian Franzino, Andrew Haas, Lauren Hungate, James Norton and Cleo Tighe, the song flips the idea of a “sweetheart” on its head, calling out someone stirring rumours with a biting sense of wit. Cooke blends playful wordplay with cutting honesty, marking the song as both a statement of growth and a confident preview of the 15-track collection to come.
Smithfield – Let You
Smithfield lean into the thrill of new love with their latest single ‘Let You,' a playful, up-tempo follow-up to ‘Giving Up On Us' that captures the electric tension of two people circling each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Co-written by Jenn Fielder and Trey Smith alongside Karen Kosowski and Emma D Ashlee, the track swaps the duo’s usual long-term heartache narratives for something lighter and more immediate: that butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling of possibility. Framed as a late-night game of cat and mouse, ‘Let You' is built for summer drives and windows-down moments, delivering a contagious, carefree energy that signals a fresh dimension of their sound ahead of their forthcoming project later this year.
