Put A Record On: Lana Del Rey + more moody country tunes

The end of the year is slow for new music, but these are gems

Happy Friday Don’t Rock the Inboxers: a reminder that our sale is happening now! It’s a great time to become an annual subscriber for 20% off — plus, you get our very first merch: koozies and stickers! Ring in the new year fully equipped with DRTI gear, or take care of the country fan on your holiday gift list!

Also, we are excited to share that we partnered with Stereogum this year for a 10 Best Country Albums Of 2023 list. You can read the whole thing over at their site, and come back to the newsletter next week for more of our favorite things. Thanks Stereogum!

Now, on to the picks…

The Good

“What She’s Doing Now,” Denitia: A really pretty, moody, unexpected Garth Brooks cover — a great entry in the Garth legacy chat we were just having in the open thread this week! — NW

“Kick & Scream,” Andrew Jobin and the Crispy Boys: A honkytonk banger mixed with…Pavement vibes? Perfect combo if you ask me. [“Range Life” was always a twanger anyway]. - MM

“Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Lana Del Rey: I am not really a big LDR person in general (sacrilege in certain circles, I realize), but this cover works really well for me. It’s very simple, but definitely convincingly delivered without the kind of ironic detachment that I generally associate with her (maybe wrongly!). — NW [ I am a big LDR person, and I happen to love this and how Lana is now sort of Nashville country adjacent, hanging out with Nikki Lane and Sierra Ferrell and popping up singing classic tunes. Also, random but extremely cool Lana anecdote: