Riser House / Columbia Nashville artist Mitchell Tenpenny has gone from strength to strength in the last several years, since the release of his breakout single ‘Drunk Me.’ Now, he is set to release his new EP – Midtown Diaries – out this Friday 10th September. Pre-order/pre-save the project here.
Since the release of his debut single, “Drunk Me,” Riser House/Columbia Nashville artist Mitchell Tenpenny’s career has rocketed, setting records for breakout success in country music with apparent ease – the hit was certified 2X Platinum and amassed over 500 million on-demand streams, earning him the best first week showing for any major label country debut LP. Since that time, Tenpenny was nominated for New Male Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards and Breakthrough Video (“Drunk Me”) at the CMT Music Awards and saw his “Alcohol You Later” and “Anything She Says” singles certified gold. This week, he returns with his new EP – Midtown Diaries that continues his mammoth, stadium-ready sound.
‘To Us It Did’ kicks off the project, Tenpenny’s gravelly vocal entering centre stage, tripping off the tongue as he looks back nostalgically. It’s a track made for a live iteration as is ‘I Can’t Love You Any More’ which hits a decent groove that showcases the texture of his vocal. Elsewhere, Tenpenny is able to posit the more tender side of his artistry on tracks such as ‘Good Thing,’ a surprisingly romantic and warmly honeyed track. Though the lyrics are not as strong as some of his previous material, sonically it is rich and anthemic.
The middle section of the EP is without doubt the strongest. ‘Bucket List’ – already released as a single – is one of the stronger lyrical tracks on Midtown Diaries. ‘I’ma cross one off, put two more on it / Say, “I love you” ‘fore the moment’s gone / And never have to ask myself, “What if” / When I get to the bottom of my bucket list.’ It’s a track brimming with charm and emotion, delivered through Tenpenny’s signature vocal. ‘Truth About You,’ however, details the idea of two perspectives on a break-up and the lies propagated to paint one party as a villain. ‘One’s a lie and one’s the truth / One of ’em went down and one was made up / But in the end we both lose / Why can’t we meet in the middle?‘ It’s a soulful track both lyrically and sonically. ‘Girl’s Love’ is one of the grooviest tracks on the project that shakes up the production and sound – a necessary lift. If Tenpenny keeps on pulling on this sonic thread, then he is bound to continue to hit the top marks on the chart.
The project ends with two slow and lingering groovy tracks – ‘Don’t Let Me Let You’ a track about regrets and mistakes and letting go and ‘She Hates Me Too,’ where Tenpenny moves in a surprising direction, sharing war wounds with an ex’s new ex. ‘I know you don’t know me / But I know what you’re going through.’ Both tracks offer an easy, dripping melody.
The project is a rich showcase of Tenpenny’s husky vocal. Lyrically, none of the tracks match up to the strength of ‘Can’t Go To Church,’ yet sonically there are nods on the project of how Tenpenny could continue to evolve and push the boundaries of his own artistry into bold new directions.
Tracklist
1. To Us It Did (Mitchell Tenpenny/Michael Hardy/Jordan Schmidt)
2. Good Thing (Mitchell Tenpenny/Thomas Archer/Kyle Fishman)
3. I Can’t Love You Any More (Mitchell Tenpenny/Michael Hardy/Jordan Schmidt)
4. Bucket List (Mitchell Tenpenny/Chris DeStefano/Laura Veltz)
5. Truth About You (Mitchell Tenpenny/Matt Alderman/Thomas Archer)
6. A Girl’s Love (Mitchell Tenpenny/Jordan Schmidt/Brad Tursi)
7. Don’t Let Me Let You (Mitchell Tenpenny/Daniel Ross/Michael Whitworth)
8. She Hates Me Too (Mitchell Tenpenny/Kyle Fishman/Justin Wilson)
