Happy Friday! There’s plenty of new music to enjoy this week in our latest edition of You Gotta Hear This, our regular roundup of upcoming and just-released tracks and videos.
Kicking us off, innovative banjoist Wes Corbett (who currently tours with Sam Bush) shares the second single from his upcoming album, Drift. “Eagle Harbor” was inspired by the vibe and structure of Jackson Browne’s music and the picturesque ferry ride to Bainbridge Island in Washington state, where Corbett grew up. Guitarist, poet, and singer-songwriter Courtney Hartman is returning with new music as well; this time it’s a lush and whimsical neo-folk song co-written with Ana Egge about how being a mother and raising a child transformed the way she saw everything around her. It’s set to an intimate and cozy new music video you’ll love to watch.
New Mexico-based artist and songwriter Michael Rudd will release a new track, “Not Today,” next week and below you can find a preview of the number. It contemplates war, history, loss and their legacies; Rudd was spurred to write “Not Today” by the many wars ongoing today, especially in Gaza, and by his recent travel to Germany, Poland, and to visit monuments of the Holocaust.
Lauren Morse is ready to get you dancing with her new track and music video. “Let that Fiddler Fiddle” is a message we can certainly get behind. Inspired by Nashville’s ever-popular Honky Tonk Tuesday, it’s a two-stepping song sonically found where country and bluegrass meet – and perfect for toe-tapping or hip-swaying (or both). Trey Hedrick brings us a very enjoyable bluegrass track as well; “Passing Through” began to come together while Hedrick was out west and longing for the hills of home. With a talented roster of pickers and musicians on the song, Hedrick says it’s “a self reminder to go, to try, and to not leave the important things undone.”
Rounding us out, a group we’ve loved and collaborated with for a very long time, The Infamous Stringdusters, have a brand new single and a video to go with it. “Dead Man Walking” was written by Jeremy Garrett and Larry Keel. Don’t be fooled by the title, this is a song of uplift and positivity, set to the grooving and gritty style of bluegrass we all know and love from the Dusters.
It’s another stellar collection this week, if we do say so ourselves, and You Gotta Hear This!
Wes Corbett, “Eagle Harbor”
Artist: Wes Corbett
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Eagle Harbor”
Album: Drift
Release Date: September 15, 2025 (single); October 3, 2025 (album)
Label: Adhyâropa Records
In Their Words: “As a kid, Jackson Browne was playing around the house a lot so that music has always filled me with a sense of warm nostalgia. As an adult I’ve realized how gorgeous his music is and how profound of an impact I think it’s had on me as a musician. ‘Eagle Harbor’ is a reflection of this both in vibe and in structure – wide warm sounds, open space, and what I hope is a strong melody. It’s named after the main harbor on Bainbridge Island where I grew up, which looks particularly beautiful during golden hour as you approach on the ferry with the Olympic Mountains as the backdrop. This group of musicians is an absolute dream to make music with! With so much emotional depth and their masterful touches as a bedrock it has become one of my favorites on Drift. I feel so lucky and honored to have the chance to cut this track with them.” – Wes Corbett
Courtney Hartman, “Bright Eye”
Artist: Courtney Hartman
Hometown: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Song: “Bright Eye”
Album: With You
Release Date: September 17, 2025 (video); August 27, 2025 (single); November 14, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “I began writing ‘Bright Eye’ the first summer after my daughter was born. Loving her transformed the way I saw everything around me and I found myself surprised by the joy of seeing our life through her eyes. I believe that this is what love does: love of any kind changes how and what we see. It lets the light in.
“Ana Egge is a favorite songwriter of mine, she has a wonderful way of articulating melodies. I sent her an early version of the song and we finished it together. ‘Bright Eye’ also features harmonies from my dear friend and fellow Eau Claire artist and mother, Sarah Elstran (The Nunnery).
“I wanted the video for the song to give a real sense of the spirit behind With You – the community, the care, and the laughter. The album came about during a season of heaviness, but the women who co-wrote the songs with me, along with the friends who recorded them, truly helped to carry me through.” – Courtney Hartman
Track Credits:
Courtney Hartman – Voice, guitars, songwriter
Ana Egge – songwriter
The Nunnery – Harmony vocals
Ben Lester – Synth, pedal steel
S. Carey – Drums, piano, synth
Shane Leonard – Percussion
Zoe Guigueno – Electric bass
Video Credits: Filmed by Kyle Lehman, edited by Erik Elstran.
Trey Hedrick, “Passing Through”
Artist: Trey Hedrick
Hometown: Wilkesville, Ohio
Song: “Passing Through”
Album: Sing, Appalachia
Release Date: September 19, 2025
In Their Words: “‘Passing Through’ started with my time living out West. I went out there looking for adventure, and I found it – mountains, open skies, and a pace to life that felt more open. But even then there was always a pull toward home, toward the hills. The song is about moving through places and seasons, chasing what you need to see while you can. It’s also about how all of us are just passing through in life, and how easy it is to get stuck only talking about the things we want to do. I’ve never wanted to live that way. That’s where the line ‘I ain’t afraid of dying, just the things I never did’ comes from. It’s a self reminder to go, to try, and to not leave the important things undone.” – Trey Hedrick
Track Credits:
Trey Hedrick – Lead vocal, acoustic guitar, songwriter
John Mailander – Fiddle
Ethan Ballinger – Mandolin
Frank Evans – Banjo
Phillipe Bronchtein – Piano
Jamie Dick – Drums
Rhees Williams – Bass
Maya De Vitry – Harmony vocals
The Infamous Stringdusters, “Dead Man Walking”
Artist: The Infamous Stringdusters
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee and Colorado
Song: “Dead Man Walking”
Album: 20/20
Release Date: September 19, 2025 (single); January 2026 (album)
Label: Americana Vibes
In Their Words: “I had this idea about a pitiful character that needed to snap out of their life and take a bigger view of everything before it was too late. I kept having Larry Keel’s voice in my mind as I worked through the melody of the song a bit, so I sent him a verse or two and he sent me back some. His lyrics were awesome, uplifting, and on the positive side. In a few sessions, we came up with what feels like a powerful chorus and a cool hook. It felt so natural for Dusters to make this one as country as we could and I just hope it resonates with everyone who listens, as it did with Larry and me as the songwriters.” – Jeremy Garrett
Video Credits: Directed and edited by Jack Gould at Ninja Video Production.
Craig Babineau – Second camera
Lauren Morse, “Let That Fiddler Fiddle”
Artist: Lauren Morse
Hometown: Jackson, Michigan
Song: “Let that Fiddler Fiddle”
Album: The Sweetest Sound (EP)
Release Date: September 12, 2025 (video/single); January 2026 (EP)
In Their Words: “I wrote this song after a Nashville Honky Tonk Tuesday. I was being spun around by a man old enough to be my grandpa at the American Legion and I thought, ‘This is so much more fun than my date was the previous night.’ I immediately wanted to write a song folks could two-step to and that’s what I set out to do. Playing it out around Music City, I was always getting compliments on how it felt like nostalgic country music. It is the best feeling in the world to see the intention for the song to be played out in a music video with the same people who inspired it! I think it’s a real special song people get excited about and can’t help but clap or dance along.” – Lauren Morse
Video Credits: Directed by William Gawley.
Produced by Michelle Robertson, Charlotte Avenue Pictures.
Director of Photography – Wayne Taylor with Giovanni Gotay
Drone pilot – Wayne Taylor
Edited/color – Color Synch Visuals
Michael Rudd, “Not Today”
Artist: Michael Rudd
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Song: “Not Today”
Album: Ways of the World
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (single), February 27, 2026 (album)
Label: Invisible Road Records
In Their Words: “‘Not Today’ is about the legacy of war, both for the vanquished and the ‘victor.’ In a time when wars seem to be everywhere, the song considers not just the impact on those fighting now, but also on generations to come. ‘Not Today’ is from the perspective of a man who has lost everything – his family, his home, his land – but not the knowledge of who he is. It was most directly inspired by the war in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, as well as my visit last year to Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, and Auschwitz. As an American Jew who grew up with the cornerstones of Israel, Jewish ethics, a knowledge of historical antisemitism, and the specter of the Holocaust, I wonder how future generations will process the current war and the influence it may have on how they see themselves and the world.” – Michael Rudd
Track Credits:
Michael Rudd – Vocals, electric guitar
Pat Malone – Electric guitar
Mark Clark – Drums
Brant Leeper – Hammond organ
Asher Barreras – Electric bass
Kelly Kuhn – Backing vocals
Photo Credit: The Infamous Stringdusters by Daniel Milchev; Courtney Hartman by Michelle Bennett.
