00:00Fans rejoice as Hardy returns to his country roots with new EP, Country.
00:07The five-track project features tunes that are reminiscent of Hardy's youth in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
00:14Michael Wilson Hardy, known professionally as Hardy, is primarily known for his genre-bending music,
00:21often blending rock and country, but the talented singer-songwriter is delving deeper into the latter
00:26with a new EP that is straight out of a honky-tonk, Country.
00:32Hitting all music streaming platforms today, May Tooth, Country, consists of five must-listen tunes,
00:40Buck on the Wall, Car That Drove You Away, Girl with a Gun, Luckiest Man Alive, and Favorite Country Song
00:47that are much twangier than what Hardy has released in the past.
00:51For those who need a refresher, the Mississippi native released The Mockingbird and the Crow,
00:56in 2023, his debut album that was split, right down the middle to be exact, between Country
01:04and Rock, connected by the title track itself.
01:08Featuring songs as Country as Wait in the Truck, featuring Laney Wilson, and as Rock as Truck
01:14Bed, The Mockingbird and the Crow's country tracks were stylized in all lowercase letters
01:20and said to represent The Mockingbird, while its rock tracks were stylized in all capital letters
01:26and said to represent The Crow.
01:28As one can assume, Hardy created a half-and-half body of work unlike anything the public had
01:34heard before, causing him to develop a rather strong fan base of both rock lovers and country
01:39lovers upon his debut.
01:41In 2024, Hardy appeased his rock-loving fans specifically, wholeheartedly embracing the genre with his
01:49sophomore album, Quit, featuring anthemic gritty hits like Psycho and Rockstar.
01:56One year later, Hardy is now appeasing his country-loving fans with Country.
02:01As mentioned, Country consists of five must-listen tunes, however, it is not the first time fans
02:09are hearing the EP's soon-to-be smash hits.
02:13Hardy released Buck on the Wall and Favorite Country Song on April 11th, giving listeners a
02:20glimpse into what Country would entail upon its official release a few weeks later.
02:25Both songs remind me of a very special place, the place where I grew up, the place where I became
02:32who I am, my deer camp. It's now the only place I have to go home to since somebody lives in my
02:38childhood home. I feel like it's been a long time coming to put out some music that gets back to my
02:44roots, he shared in a statement regarding Buck on the Wall and Favorite Country Song. Now that the
02:51entire EP has hit music streaming platforms, the 34-year-old decided to reference his country
02:56background yet again, gushing in an Instagram caption,
03:00My new EP country is out now. This music is a nod to my roots, and the cover art is a real
03:07newspaper clipping taken from Athena Shoba Democrat over 20 years ago. Go give the new EP a listen
03:15wherever you stream music. This caption accompanies a reel of Hardy basking in a picture
03:20country landscape, while the track list, as well as songwriting credits, appear one by one.
03:28Naturally, this post tugged on the heartstrings of country music lovers all across the globe,
03:33causing fans of the genre to rejoice as Hardy is seemingly returning to his country roots
03:38once and for all. Country Hardy is just incredible, one fan wrote in the comment section of the reel,
03:46while another wrote, Gotta love country Hardy. A third fan gushed, Back at it again. Welcome back
03:54to your roots. Love you in literally any genre, but country is your home, sir. To top things off,
04:01doubling down on the theory that Hardy is returning to his country roots for good,
04:05the global sensation finally made his Grand Ole Opry debut on April 29th. Telling stories of his
04:12childhood in Mississippi and singing country as can be tunes like Wait in the Truck and Buck on a Wall,
04:19Stepping Foot onto the Opry Stage is a rite of passage for country music artists, and Hardy has
04:25officially taken the leap. Now, just one question remains. What's next? While we wait to see where
04:32Hardy goes from here, in the meantime, you may stream Country on your favorite music streaming service.
04:38Additionally, for further updates regarding Hardy and his rumored return to the country genre once
04:44and for all, you can connect with him via Instagram, ahardy.
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