GRAMMY, CMA and ACM award-winning singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde has released her charged-up new track ‘Arkansas Mud,' out now via Warner Records Nashville. The fast-talking, rock-heavy anthem finds McBryde leaning into a fiery irreverence, name-checking prescription amphetamines and Lynyrd Skynyrd songs as she reclaims the rough edges that first defined her artistry.
Written by McBryde alongside fellow GRAMMY winners Jessie Jo Dillon and Chris Tompkins, the sharp-tongued track explores the cost of sanding yourself down to fit expectations and the power of returning to your most authentic self. “We’ve all filed an edge down here or there at someone else’s request,” McBryde explains. “‘Arkansas Mud’ is about rediscovering and re-honing those edges.” Reflecting on the bold lyric “Romans 3 and 23, don’t you point your book at me,” she adds that much of that grit comes from growing up in the woods of the Ozark Mountains.
The single follows January’s release ‘What If We Don’t,' with both songs previewing her highly anticipated fifth studio album, a project rooted in her sobriety journey, her Arkansas upbringing, religious trauma and family history. Ahead of the new release, McBryde also delivered a pair of standout shows as part of her Redemption Residency, reviving Postcards From Lindeville and performing character-driven songs from across her catalogue with surprise guests, while ‘What If We Don’t' is set to impact country radio on February 23.
