Country star Luke Combs signaled a new lyrical direction with his 2022 album Growin’ Up and its 2023 counterpart Gettin’ Old. Since then, the “Hurricane” singer has dropped hints that he has officially traded his beer goggles for a baby monitor. Unreleased tracks like “Plant a Seed” and “The Man He Sees in Me” speak to his adventures in fatherhood. Next Friday (June 14) fans will get to see more of the CMA Award winner’s softer side. Combs is dropping a whole new album.
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Luke Combs Set to Release ‘Fathers And Sons’
On May 29, Combs posted an Instagram video of his reaction to a fan’s request for a “new album full of dad songs please.” The 34-year-old North Carolina native appears to mull it over as an unreleased song, “Remember Him That Way” plays in the background.
In another Instagram video Thursday (June 6), Combs announced he had taken those words to heart. His sixth studio album, Fathers & Sons, will drop next Friday (June 14.)
Combs also shared a picture of the album’s cover art. In the black-and-white photo, the GRAMMY nominee and his own father, Chester, sit side by side in chairs next to a creek. Each man is holding a fishing pole and one of Luke’s own sons. He and wife Nicole Hocking share Tex Lawrence Combs, nearly 2, and 10-month-old Beau Lee Combs.
The Transition to Family Man Continues
“The Man He Sees In Me,” which the Grand Ole Opry member first teased in January, is available now as the album’s lead single. The album’s 11 other tracks, with titles like “Whoever You Turn Out To Be” and “Huntin’ By Yourself,” all revolve around the theme of fatherhood.
However, Luke Combs didn’t draw inspiration only from his experiences with fatherhood. Several titles, including “My Old Man Was Right,” hint at the ACM Award winner’s relationship with his own father.
“’The man he sees in me’ is a beautiful song,” wrote one ecstatic X/Twitter user. “Reminds me of my boys.”
Fathers & Sons promises plenty of tearjerkers—even for Combs’ childless fans. “Me crying about my nonexistent kids growing up too fast to every song on this album,” one X/Twitter user wrote.
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
