Have Faith in [Punk Rock Country Ballads]
New Music Friday | 2/2/24
Muscadine Bloodline w/ Dayton Farley - Have Faith in Me
The people long for their favorite emo hits with a few string instruments, and Muscadine Bloodline is delivering. Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton, the frontmen of Muscadine Bloodline, released an album in 2023 titled “Teenage Dixie” and later followed up with a paired EP titled “Teenage Angst”, featuring 4 cover songs from a few of their favorite bands growing up, like Jimmy Eat World and Mayday Parade. The EP’s release was met with a mountain of support, and their cover of Blink-182’s “Adam’s Song” had a viral moment online. It is likely that I personally streamed this song for an excessive amount of replays, and I’ll continue to hit the replay button and grab a tissue - won’t you join me?
So what is it about these generational punk rock songs turned country ballads that have fans begging for more? Many people who grew up alongside Charlie and Gary listened to these bands and songs in their youth and likely still keep many of their favorites in rotation today (guilty as charged!). The Muscadine boys shared on Instagram, “There seems to be a commonality in the emo music of the 2000s and what today’s sad country song consists of”. Your parents and other adults in your life likely ridiculed this music for being too ‘emo, dark, and too loud’, but when the songs are delivered in the style that Muscadine has achieved, it highlights the poetic structure and message of these songs that may have otherwise been overlooked.
Photo By: Nashville Is His Bride
Now, the boys have done it again! Meet Drayton Farley, a singer-songwriter from Alabama who has recently been on tour supporting 49 Winchester & Muscadine Bloodline, and will be opening up for their sold-out show at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville next month. Charlie and Gary have teamed up with Drayton, an independent artist such as Muscadine, to release their latest country cover, this time choosing the A Day to Remember (also referenced as ADTR) song “Have Faith in Me”. Farley shared on Instagram that, “ADTR was easily one of my first loves in the world of music” and was waiting on the call to record an ADTR track with the boys.
Photo By: Nashville Is His Bride
It is such a treat that they brought this release to fruition, and based on the sounds of it, we should be expecting more releases from Muscadine Bloodline this year that are “fun for them”, including more “Teenage Angst” covers, if the online pleas are answered. In a post teasing this release, they shared, “funny how sounds and ideas in the music of the past weave their way into the music of today”. They plan to “champion artists [they] love and more specifically artists from [their] home state of Alabama”, much like Drayton Farley. Muncaster and Stanton came out on top in 2023 after having a tremendous year of growth, and I look forward to seeing how their careers and musical endeavors continue to progress in 2024, even more so I look forward to seeing how much fun they have in the new year.
