By Bridget Sinden
Country’s favorite mischief-makers Old Dominion are back—this time, with a brand new album and perhaps the odd existential crisis thrown in for good measure. On August 22, their sixth studio record, Barbara, drops and if early teasers are anything to go by, fans can expect a wild mix of heartbreak, punchlines, and plenty of honest, musical oversharing.
Frontman Matthew Ramsey admits, “So many incredible things have happened, but so much real life has too. Love, loss, grief, growth. These are our songs, so they should be pulled from our lives. When we listened to these 13 songs, we all realized it’s our most personal record ever”—which we’re translating as code for “get ready to feel all the feels and then some.”
Of course, this is Old Dominion, so it’s not all teary ballads and long gazes into the distance. There’s “Late Great Heartbreak,” perfect for all your dramatic mirror pep-talks.
And “Making Good Time,” for speeding down the highway (or, you know, just trying to get through rush hour without losing your mind).
But the album also digs deep—“Miss You Man” is a tribute to songwriter Andrew Dorff, proof that even country’s silliest goofballs have the big hearts that we love!
“Some years ago, we lost our dear friend Andrew Dorff far too soon,” Ramsey said. “We play songs we’ve written with him every night on stage. When you hear our music, many times you are also hearing the voice of Andrew. There is a saying – grief is the price of love. We all experience that loss at some point and we carry that love as we go through that process, in some ways, for the rest of our lives. Miss You Man is a tribute to grief, friendship, and love.”
Between breaking records at pretty much every awards show, owning their own Nashville bar (Odies, check it out), and mixing up country’s classic formula, Old Dominion is living proof that you don’t have to choose between fun and feelings and it’s what we love about country music. We love to feel the heartbreak of a well written lyric and melody, but then turn around and get our party on!
Barbara is for country music fans who want to laugh off the drama, cry about the big stuff, and maybe pick up a little wisdom in the process. Old Dominion is here to remind us that music is better when we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we do keep it real.
Stay Wild. Stay Connected. Stay Country.
