New Country and Americana Albums for October 4, 2024: New Music from Hayes & The Heathens, Megan Moroney & More

October 4, 2024 3:03 pm

We’ve come to the end of another long workweek and have received a bounty of new country and Americana albums as a reward. As the temperatures continue to drop, the leaves start to change, and the holiday season gets closer, it’s nice to have some good tunes to cut through the noise of the world. This week’s stack of new releases has more than enough power to carry us through the weekend and well into the coming week.

Videos by American Songwriter

This week brought the debut album from the country and Americana scene’s newest supergroup, some rock-solid autumnal-flavored folk music, a killer live album, and some boot-stomping rock and roll.

Standout Albums

There are plenty of great tunes in today’s list of new releases. However, it seems that the best albums to drop today prioritize having a good time over everything else. The debut from Hayes & The Heathens and the latest release from The Franklin County Trucking Company were just what the doctor ordered.

Hayes Carll is a criminally underrated country singer/songwriter, the Band of Heathens is a top-notch rock group, and their collaborative album highlights the best of both worlds. With so much talent behind Hayes & The Heathens, it was bound to be a good record. However, few could have predicted just how fun the album is.

From the album opener, “Nobody Dies from Weed” to the final notes of the closer “You Can’t Stay Here,” this is an airtight album made by seasoned and talented musicians. More than that, it’s obvious that everyone involved was having a great time and it’s contagious.

Standout Tracks: “Nobody Dies from Weed” “Water from the Holy Grail” “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”

For years, trucker songs were a cornerstone of country music. Unfortunately, that time has passed. Fortunately, The Franklin County Trucking Company is bringing that tradition back. While they aren’t a country band, their new album is packed with truck-driving bangers.

FcoTco’s sound lies between driving rock and roll and Southern rock with a sprinkling of sleaze and a touch of humor to level things out. Much like this week’s other standout release, The Death-Defying Adventures of the Franklin County Trucking Company is a hell of a lot of fun to listen to.

Standout Tracks: “Shotgun Ghost” “Raise Hell, Praise Dale!” “Work Hard, Be Humble”