After days of speculation and mysterious social media posts, Tyler Childers is ready to share new music. Today (July 27), the Kentucky singer-songwriter revealed his sixth studio album, Rustin’ in the Rain, which will be released on September 8.
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“This is a collection of songs I playfully pieced together as if I was pitching a group of songs to Elvis,” Childers says in a statement. “Some covers, one co-write, and some I even wrote in my best (terrible) Elvis impersonation as I worked around the farm and kicked around the house. I hope you enjoy listening to this album as much as I enjoyed creating it. Thank you. Thank you very much.”
[RELATED: Tyler Childers Drops Long Violent History With Pointed Message]
The first track to be revealed from Rustin’ In the Rain, which follows up the 32-year-old Grammy Award nominee’s triple album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, is the heartfelt “In Your Love.” Childers stretches his sound further than ever, leading with a simple piano intro that eventually builds into a full, richly-layered soundscape.
Directed by Bryan Schlam, the song’s official music video stars Colton Haynes and James Scully, who tell the tragic love story of two gay men as they navigate life in rural Appalachia during the 1950s.
“As a gay teenager who loved country music, I could have never imagined seeing myself in a video. That visibility matters,” Silas House, an award-winning writer and Kentucky native who served as writer and creative director for the video, says in a statement. “There have always been LGBTQ people in rural places, and finally, we’re seeing that portrayed in a country music video. Tyler and I both felt the attention to detail about rural life was very important, so we made sure that the house and the people looked realistic for the time period instead of the stereotypes of country people that have become so ingrained in the public consciousness.”
Although the short film serves as a visual representation of LGBTQ relationships—something still rarely seen within the country and folk genres—it also pivots sharply from the stereotypes often placed upon those living in small towns across the country.
“We used our own family pictures as references,” he continues. “We wanted to tell as complex a story as we could in four minutes, not only about a gay couple but also about rural people. We wanted to show their joy and their sorrow—all the things that make up a complex life. Too often, simplistic notions are pushed about both rural and LGBTQ people, so we did everything we could to make this story as rich and layered as possible.”
Watch the emotional music video for Tyler Childers’ “In Your Love” below.
Photo Credit: Sam Waxman
