Rising country hit maker Ryan Hurd searches for some barstool therapy in the newly released track “Tab With My Name On It,” aiming to toast a new start in a breakup’s wake. But just like the glass in front of him, he ultimately comes up empty.
Featuring a vivid storyline, orchestral strings and shattered-heart vocals, the weary ballad stings like a whiskey on the rocks — especially if you’ve ever tried to drink away your pain. It’s part of Hurd’s soon-to-arrive debut album, Pelago — which is named in honor of a childhood spent on Lake Michigan and arrives October 15 — and it follows a series of dynamic track releases.
Before getting to “Tab With My Name On It,” Hurd previously shared tunes including “June, July, August,” “Coast” and the hit, “Chasing After You,” which features his wife Maren Morris and is currently climbing through the Top 10 at country radio. The track has also earned Hurd his first CMA Awards nominations for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year, and he and Morris appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to perform the steamy hit.
Meanwhile, Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris also showed up on Audacy’s I’m Listening to tell hosts Rob + Holly about some actual strategies for clearing one’s head, as they navigate stressful careers and raise an infant son … while also standing up to online bullies.
“We both have therapists that we talk to regularly and I think that’s a pretty important thing for people these days,” said Hurd. “I think that’s become something that there’s not a stigma attached to that as much as there used to be and we’ve both found it incredibly helpful just to sort through some stuff.”
“People can cowardly hide behind their phone screens,” said Maren. “You’re always going to face some sort of adversity or someone who is trying to puncture your balloon of happiness and I deal with it every day, I have to make a conscious effort to not let it get under my skin.
“I’ve stood up to bullies in person and online and I fight for women’s rights, people of color, the underdogs and I think that my heart is always coming from a good place,” she went on. That’s how I can sleep at night, is knowing that I’m always trying to be a better person.”
Ryan Hurd got his start in Nashville as a songwriter, penning Platinum hits and Number Ones for Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Lady A and Tim McGraw, among others, and he’s also the artist behind the clever romance of 2018’s “To a T.”