Atlus arrives at his major label debut with a story already years in the making. The Denver-raised artist built his career from the ground up, writing songs while working as a commercial truck driver and steadily growing a loyal fanbase through independent releases and relentless touring. That early grind paid off in a big way, leading to more than a billion streams, a Platinum record, and a Top 5 debut on Spotify’s Global Album Chart. By the time he signed with BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville, Atlus had already established himself as a compelling, emotionally direct voice—earning recognition from Billboard and landing on Pandora’s Artists to Watch list.
That foundation feeds directly into his label debut album, ‘Art of Letting Go,' a deeply personal 15-track project shaped by grief, growth, and lived experience. Blending country with touches of rock, pop, and hip-hop, the record reflects the full scope of his journey—from a childhood marked by hardship to the loss of his sister to addiction, which anchors the album’s emotional core. Across songs like ‘Devil Ain’t Done' and ‘Spare Key,' Atlus leans into both vulnerability and resilience, framing his story not just as reflection, but as a way to connect. It’s an album rooted in honesty, with Atlus positioning his music as something meant to lighten the weight for anyone listening who’s been through something similar.
‘Art of Letting Go' doesn’t arrive as a polished debut in the traditional sense—it arrives lived-in. Before there was any spotlight, there were long-haul drives, late nights and lyrics scribbled in the margins of exhaustion. That origin story matters, because this album sounds exactly like it was written in motion: restless, searching and heavy with the kind of truths you only confront when there’s nothing but road ahead.
From the outset, the album establishes itself as a document of survival. Not triumph, not resolution—survival. This is an artist unafraid to sit in discomfort, to name the voices that pull you under, and to do so with arena-sized ambition. The sonic palette—somewhere between country, rock and hip-hop—places him in the lineage of artists like Jelly Roll, but Atlus’ perspective feels distinctly his own.
The album opens with ‘Secondhand Smoke,' and it’s as bleak and raw as anything here. Atlus reflects on childhood lessons about how unforgiving the world can be, recalling being sat down at ten years old and told exactly that. The production leans into an early ‘Whitsitt Chapel'-era Jelly Roll feel—gritty, genre-blurring—but it’s Atlus’ voice that anchors it. There’s a weight to it, a sense that every line has been earned.
That emotional intensity carries into ‘Devil Ain’t Done,' where internal battles are externalised through imagery of devils and sinners. It’s not subtle, but it’s effective. The scale of the production—big drums, expansive hooks—suggests these songs are built for live settings, where the communal aspect of these struggles can fully resonate.
Where the album really deepens, though, is in its quieter moments. ‘Still Haven’t Stopped' is devastating in its restraint, exploring the emotional toll of loving someone in active addiction. “I’ve done another dealing with all of your demons, ain’t telling how maybe fought,” Atlus sings, his phrasing fractured in a way that mirrors the instability he’s describing. The song builds into an anthemic midsection, swelling into something almost triumphant before collapsing back into uncertainty—a perfect encapsulation of that push-and-pull between holding on and letting go.
The title track, ‘Art of Letting Go,' may be the album’s emotional centerpiece. Opening with a sparse piano, Atlus confesses, “I don’t even go to the graveside. It’s too soon,” before admitting, “All I’ve ever known is how to run.” It’s grief, avoidance, and vulnerability wrapped into one. Sonically, it feels like a meeting point between Jelly Roll’s quiet intensity and Teddy Swims’ raw, soulful delivery—expansive without losing intimacy.
Even when the tempo lifts, the themes don’t. ‘Hold My Liquor' introduces a more upbeat rhythm—finger snaps, a lighter groove—but the regret is still front and center: “If I held her like I held my liquor she wouldn’t be holding on to someone somewhere new.” It’s one of several moments where Atlus juxtaposes sonics and subject matter, using brighter production to frame darker reflections. ‘Spare Key' continues that thread, beginning with optimism before unraveling into heartbreak. The image of a key left in a mailbox is simple but devastating, and the track’s polished, modern country production gives it a wide-reaching appeal. Similarly, ‘Sounds Like Alcohol' and ‘Town Down' lean into a Shaboozey-inspired rhythmic sensibility, blending country storytelling with hip-hop-inflected beats. On the latter Atlus paints nostalgia with lines like “We used to stay up till the sun turned off the streetlights,” only to twist it into something destructive: “You took the heart from my home.”
There’s also a cleverness to Atlus’ writing that surfaces in tracks like ‘IOD on YOU,' where addiction metaphors are flipped into a love song. “Ain’t no rehab for this,” he sings, reframing obsession as both a weakness and a kind of salvation. It’s one of the album’s more hopeful moments, though even here, the optimism feels cautious.
‘Roses' stands out as perhaps the album’s most fully realised track. It’s big—arena-big—with shimmering production that gives way to rock muscle in the chorus. Atlus delivers lines like “I’ve got all these other issues and plenty more to get through” with a conviction that feels both weary and determined. It’s a song about confronting your demons without pretending they’ll disappear.
The end stretch of the album leans more into commercial territory. ‘Break Me First' and ‘Guilty' carry a Mitchell Tenpenny-style polish, with pop-driven structures and huge, melodic choruses. ‘Guilty' in particular captures the album’s recurring theme of self-sabotage: “It makes it hard cos you don’t deserve this,” Atlus admits, aware he’s about to ruin something good. ‘Half the Bottle' follows a similar blueprint, blending catchy melodies with emotional fallout.
‘In the City' shifts gears again, dipping into a club-country hybrid reminiscent of Graham Barham, with heavy bass and R&B undertones. It’s one of the album’s lighter moments thematically, though still rooted in identity and place—drawing a line between rural authenticity and urban excess.
The closing track, ‘Baby Momma,' brings everything back to where it started: family. Opening with a post-grunge acoustic feel, Atlus tells the story of a young woman abandoned at eighteen—only to reveal it’s his mother. The twist in the chorus, “You gave me the life you always wanted, I’ll always be your baby, momma,” reframes the title with a simple comma and a lot of heart. Ending the album with a voicemail from his mum asking him to keep her in his prayers is almost unbearably intimate, but it feels earned.
What makes ‘Art of Letting Go' compelling is not just its honesty, but its consistency of vision. This is an album steeped in self-recrimination, doubt, addiction and the long shadow of a hard upbringing. Atlus doesn’t offer easy answers—he often doesn’t offer answers at all. Instead, he documents the process: the setbacks, the relapses, the moments of clarity that don’t quite stick.
Sonically, the album blurs genre lines in the same way as Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, and Mitchell Tenpenny—country at its core, but stretched across rock, pop, and hip-hop influences. The production is slick, often arena-ready, but it never feels detached from the stories being told. This isn’t an easy listen, and it’s not meant to be. ‘Art of Letting Go' is heavy, sometimes uncomfortably so. But it’s also deeply human. Atlus may still be learning how to let go, but in capturing that struggle so vividly, he’s created something that’s hard to walk away from.
Tracklist: 1. Secondhand Smoke 2. Devil Ain't Done 3. Still Haven't Stopped 4. Art of Letting Go 5. Hold My Liquor 6. Spare Key 7. Sounds Like Alcohol 8. Town Down 9. IOD on YOU 10. Roses 11. Break Me First 12. In the City 13. Guilty 14. Half the Bottle 15. Baby Momma Release Date: March 20th Record Label: BBR / BMG Nashville Buy ‘Art of Letting Go' right here.
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