The Country Weekly — October 26, 2026
October 26, 2026 edition. Period covered: October 19 through October 25, 2026, inclusive.
A week dominated by October 23 releases, with new mainstream singles, independent projects, bluegrass, old-time, honky-tonk and several national scenes.
Find the Spotify playlist at the end of the article.
Three tracks to play first
An editorial selection from the bulletin, not an official ranking.
1. The Fretliners feat. Molly Tuttle — Josephina : For a virtuosic meeting of progressive bluegrass, harmony and melodic songwriting. Listen on Spotify
2. Bella McCormick — Dandy : For a country debut single built first on story and wit. Listen on Spotify
3. Grey DeLisle — Every Day of the Week Ends in Why : For its blend of California classic country, Bakersfield and rockabilly. Listen on Spotify
Artists to discover
Key: 🔴 New discovery marks a documented first release or beginning of a recording career; a new signing or a later debut album is not enough.
UNITED STATES
Bella McCormick
Nashville, Tennessee
🔴 New discovery A songwriter developed at Ole Miss, she officially launches her country artist project with Dandy, her first released song, on October 23. Sony Music Nashville presents the track as her recording debut.
Sources: Source
Regan Rousseau
Southern Maryland / Nashville, Tennessee
Signed as a songwriter by Sony Music Publishing Nashville in February 2026, she had already released Midnight Conversations before Talk About It, out October 23. Her contemporary country-pop reflects a country upbringing shaped between Maryland and California.
Sources: Source
The Fretliners
Colorado
The quartet, winner of both the Telluride Bluegrass and RockyGrass contests in 2023, releases its second album When The Kettle Sings on October 23. Its progressive bluegrass combines acoustic tradition, harmonies and contemporary songwriting; Josephina with Molly Tuttle is the listening entry.
Sources: Source
Paul Minnich
Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania singer-songwriter, he releases his debut album Pretty Damn Proud on October 23 after several singles. The record is presented as country/Americana; Memory Lane is its introductory single, without treating a debut album as a first-ever release.
Sources: Source
CANADA
Matt Lang
Maniwaki, Quebec
Already active across several albums and tours, the Quebec singer releases Ain’t that Bad on October 23. His high-energy contemporary country is represented here by the title track; this is not his debut.
Sources: Source
AUSTRALIA
Mack Geiger
Queensland
Already established on Australia's emerging country scene, he continues with How It Ends, a spare country ballad released October 23. Countrytown highlights his voice and minimalist arrangement; this is not a first release.
Sources: Source
Jake Davey
New South Wales
A musician and producer already active in the Australian scene, he releases the EP Right Where I’m At on October 23. Wildside, its contemporary-country opener, represents the project; the EP is a milestone, not a recording debut.
Sources: Source
Piper Butcher
Hunter Valley, New South Wales
A Hunter Valley singer-songwriter who has already spent several years performing, she releases the Directions EP on October 23. Closing track Lover’s Lane foregrounds her country writing; she is not presented as a beginner.
Sources: Source
New releases
Verified releases from the period, grouped by format. An album track is not counted as a single without a documented separate release.
Megan Moroney — Say When
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Brett Young — Me Holdin' On
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Kip Moore — The Wolf
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
STELLA LEFTY & Bailey Zimmerman — My Kinda Love (from the Netflix Series "Nobody Wants This" Season 3)
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Bella McCormick — Dandy 🔴 New discovery
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Dalton Davis feat. Jenna Paulette — Corralin’ A Cowgirl
Single · 23/10/2026 · Western country · Listen on Spotify
Kenny Whitmire — Leavin' Lucy Lonesome
Single · 23/10/2026 · Traditional country · Listen on Spotify
NEEDTOBREATHE feat. Evan Honer — Never Gonna Deserve Ya
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock and country-gospel · Listen on Spotify
Denitia — Can’t Leave You Alone
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary classic country · Listen on Spotify
Alex Lambert — Amen
Single · 23/10/2026 · Texas country · Listen on Spotify
Jason Cross — Spent
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Abigail Mae — Two Dozen Roses
Single, cover · 23/10/2026 · Traditional country · Listen on Spotify
Wesko — Feel Something
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Johnathan Alverson — A Foot Below My Chin
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country · Search on Spotify
DEK of Hearts — Pieces of Us
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-pop · Listen on Spotify
Mack Geiger — How It Ends
Single · 23/10/2026 · Australian country · Listen on Spotify
Mountain Grass Unit feat. Hayes Carll — Railroad River Junction
Single · 23/10/2026 · Progressive bluegrass · Listen on Spotify
Jaren Johnston — Call Me When Ya Don’t
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
KIANA — Fixing You
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-pop · Listen on Spotify
Kassi Ashton — Any Place In Time
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
Tyler Braden — What You Find
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
Hayden Redwine — High Plains Boogie
Single · 23/10/2026 · Western country and boogie · Listen on Spotify
Cameron Whitcomb — Set Me Free
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Greylan James — Tennessee You Again
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Regan Rousseau — Talk About It
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-pop · Listen on Spotify
Max McNown feat. Carly Pearce — Not Falling Out
Single · 23/10/2026 · Singer-songwriter country · Listen on Spotify
Melanie Dyer — Country Enough
Concurrent single · 23/10/2026 · Australian country · Listen on Spotify
Brothers Osborne feat. Cody Johnson — Born and Raised Hell
Concurrent single · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
Kacey Musgraves — Weekend In Texas
Single · 23/10/2026 · Tex-Mex country · Listen on Spotify
Kacey Musgraves — Mi Tesoro
Single · 23/10/2026 · Tex-Mex country · Listen on Spotify
Jake Davey — Wildside
Concurrent single · 23/10/2026 · Australian contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Piper Butcher — Lover's Lane
Concurrent single · 23/10/2026 · Australian country · Listen on Spotify
Brandy Clark — American Roots (Live)
Live single · 23/10/2026 · Singer-songwriter country and Americana · Listen on Spotify
Ryan Hurd — Kill Me or Kiss Me
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Walker Hayes — Back By Then
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-pop · Listen on Spotify
Shenandoah feat. Alexandra Kay — Scares Me More
Single · 23/10/2026 · Neotraditional country · Listen on Spotify
BRELAND — No Smoking
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country hybrid, hip-hop and R&B · Listen on Spotify
Kalsey Kulyk — Christmas Cowboy
Single · 23/10/2026 · Christmas country · Listen on Spotify
Kane Brown feat. Shania Twain — Boots
Single · 23/10/2026 · Country-pop · Listen on Spotify
George Birge — Boots Up
Single · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Wade Bowen feat. Dan Tyminski — Weight On The Levee
Single and video · 23/10/2026 · Texas country / Red Dirt and bluegrass · Listen on Spotify
LOCASH — CHRIS & PRESTON
Album · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Jacob Hackworth — What Took You So Long
EP · 23/10/2026 · Contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Colby T. Helms — One For The Losers
Album · 23/10/2026 · Appalachian country and country-rock · Listen on Spotify
Brothers Osborne — Watertown
Album · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
Matt Lang — Ain't that Bad
Album · 23/10/2026 · Canadian contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
JP Harris — Shaving A Dead Man
Album · 23/10/2026 · Old-time and traditional country · Listen on Spotify
Brandon Jane — Stolen Horses
Covers EP · 23/10/2026 · Traditional country and country-rock · Listen on Spotify
Exile — Look Out, Heart
Album · 23/10/2026 · Country-rock · Listen on Spotify
John Prine — Found Dogs
Archival album · 23/10/2026 · Folk-country · Listen on Spotify
Grey DeLisle — Don't Turn Around
Album · 23/10/2026 · Classic country, Bakersfield and rockabilly · Listen on Spotify
Melanie Dyer — Daisies From Dirt
Album · 23/10/2026 · Australian country · Listen on Spotify
Jake Davey — Right Where I'm At
EP · 23/10/2026 · Australian contemporary country · Listen on Spotify
Piper Butcher — Directions
EP · 23/10/2026 · Australian country · Listen on Spotify
Paul Minnich — Pretty Damn Proud
Album · 23/10/2026 · Country and Americana · Listen on Spotify
Pug Johnson — From a Beaumont Bar
Album · 23/10/2026 · Traditional Texas country · Listen on Spotify
The Fretliners — When The Kettle Sings
Album · 23/10/2026 · Progressive bluegrass / newgrass · Listen on Spotify
Spotify playlist
Coverage and limitations
This edition lists 57 releases: 41 singles or new versions, 4 EPs and 12 albums or long-form projects. The TXT contains the unique songs representing these releases and every discovery profile.
Coverage prioritizes the United States, followed by Canada and Australia, with international additions. Contemporary and traditional country, country-pop, country-rock, Texas/Red Dirt, bluegrass/newgrass, old-time, country-gospel, western, Tex-Mex, Bakersfield and rockabilly are represented. Searches for Cajun, zydeco, western swing and standalone country-gospel did not produce a sufficiently corroborated release this week; that does not establish a worldwide absence.
This monitoring is not exhaustive. Projects described only as folk, pop, soul, rock, roots or Americana without solid country evidence for the specific project were excluded. The Spotify search link marks a documented track whose direct URL could not be confirmed. Songs selected to represent EPs and albums are verified editorial choices from those projects, not claims about streaming rank.
Chancey Williams’s Thirsty and Blue is not included: despite an October 23 launch campaign, Apple Music gives an original availability date of September 11. Jessica Sole’s Gold and Jessica Towler’s Highway Flowers were treated as earlier releases because this week’s articles did not create new release dates.
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