Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.
This week, Brother and the Hayes’ new song “Cry” is, quite appropriately, a tear-jerker, with a style that harks back to 1960s Nashville. Similarly, Belle Frantz holds a reverence for the golden era of country music, as evidenced by an impressive rendering of “Where No One Stands Alone.” An accomplished guitarist with a fascinating approach to folk songs, Jake Xerxes Fussell looks to the golden age of sail for “Boney,” a highlight of his intriguing new album. Meanwhile, Tennessee native Valerie June grabs a banjo and reaches toward a hopeful feeling in her interpretation of “Trouble in Mind,” written more than a hundred years ago.
In addition, Katie Pruitt is joined by her friend Sierra Hull on an encouraging new song, “Orion’s Belt,” while Lawrence Rothman teams up with frequent co-writer Delaney Ramsdell to confront some ghosts on “Demons.” On the lighter side, there’s a touch of The Big Lebowski in Jason Scott & the High Heat’s new video, “Fast as I Can Crawl,” which is the lead track on their interesting, wide-ranging new project, Play Boy. And it’s always satisfying to hear new music from Foy Vance, who shares a thoughtful solo acoustic video of “Feel the Cold.”
As we like to say here at BGS, You Gotta Hear This!
Brother and the Hayes, “Cry”
Artist: Brother and The Hayes
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Song: “Cry”
Album: Phantoms of Reality
Release Date: September 18, 2026
In Their Words: “Over the last few years, we’ve been lucky enough to spend time in some traditional Texas dance halls. There are usually a few elderly couples gliding across the floor like they’ve been dancing together all their lives. When writing ‘Cry,’ I think I was picturing the dance hall in Luckenbach, Texas. I’ve seen it all over, though—even here in Nashville at Honky Tonk Tuesday—and it always, as the kids say, ‘gets me in the feels.’
‘My husband and I have been trying to learn to dance together, and I’m realizing how much of a privilege it is to be in lockstep with a longtime love. As a touring musician, I often find myself standing misty-eyed on the sidelines, missing my dance partner. A tune about dancing, even a sad one, should still make you want to dance, right? ‘Cry’ is a tearjerker but also a toe-tapper. It’s pretty easy to hear the influence of the 1960s Nashville Sound, Roy Orbison, and even a little surf rock on this track.
“We’ve been playing on the road with Andrew Thomas (pedal steel and backing vocals) and Nick Davidson (drums), and we’re thrilled to have finally gotten them into the studio to make some magic.” – Jennie Hayes Kurtz
Belle Frantz, “Where No One Stands Alone”
Artist: Belle Frantz
Hometown: Greenwood Springs, Mississippi
Song: “Where No One Stands Alone”
Album: Hymns from a Barstool
Release Date: November 6, 2026
In Their Words: “I’ve always believed God meets you in your struggle and these songs comforted me when I needed them most so I just started recording what was on my heart. If they can make somebody else feel a little better or less alone, then that’s enough for me. I’m not trying to tell anybody how to live or pass any judgements— to me, God has always been way more of a feeling than a building anyway. ‘Where No One Stands Alone’ really encapsulates the heart of the album for me. Doing this record completely independently, I often felt like I was at this alone, but I kept being reminded throughout the process that He was there, walking with me and holding my hand.” — Belle Frantz
Jake Xerxes Fussell, “Boney”
Artist: Jake Xerxes Fussell
Hometown: Columbus, Georgia
Song: “Boney”
Album: The Old Beloved Path
Release Date: September 18, 2026
Label: Fat Possum Records
In Their Words: “‘Boney’ is believed to have been what’s known in maritime worksong tradition as a ‘short drag’ – a chantey sung to accompany & keep pace for a brief hauling task aboard a ship. But the song has also lived a life in the decades that have passed since the golden age of sail. The self taught musicologist Sam Eskin recorded a version of it, as did the great Paul Clayton. Listeners will recognize that the song recounts some of the bolder and finer points along the timeline of events in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte – though somewhat out of order and at times half-wrought. In some variants his dancing and cursing receive more attention than his victories or defeats, which I appreciate. Other versions will have him crossing The Rockies in addition to The Alps. I think this song is, among other things, a curiously rendered and fractured portrait of a colossal and difficult figure. Or a short drag – whichever you prefer.” — Jake Xerxes Fussell
Valerie June, “Trouble in Mind”
Artist: Valerie June
Hometown: Humboldt, Tennessee
Song: “Trouble in Mind”
Album: Brighter Blue EP
Release Date: September 11, 2026
Label: Concord Records
In Their Words: “The most transformative moments of my life have come when I found the courage to face my fears — to feel them fully and discover the stillness that remains when the storm passes. There is perhaps no better song to capture the journey from hardship toward happiness than the old blues song ‘Trouble in Mind.’ Rooted in sorrow yet reaching toward hope, it reminds us that even in our darkest moments, something within us continues to sing.” — Valerie June
Katie Pruitt, “Orion’s Belt”
Artist: Katie Pruitt
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Song: “Orion’s Belt” (feat. Sierra Hull)
Album: Fools for the Fleeting
Release Date: September 18, 2026
Label: Rounder Records
In Their Words: “‘Orion’s Belt’ is a love song about being broke on paper but rich in experience. It’s easy to look at fancy houses, cars & clothes that other people have & equate that to success in life or love. In the past, I’ve suffered from a scarcity mindset but now I feel like I’m finally prioritizing the right stuff. I’m a hard worker & of course I want to make a living as an artist/songwriter, but I’m realizing you can have your basic needs met & still be so much happier than some of the richest people in the world. I feel honored to have my friend Sierra Hull featured on this song & I can’t wait for people to hear it.” – Katie Pruitt
Lawrence Rothman, “Demons”
Artist: Lawrence Rothman
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Song: “Demons” (Feat. Delaney Ramsdell)
Album: Here Lies Love / Sawdust to Stardust
Release Date: September 25, 2026
Label: KRO Records
In Their Words: “‘Demons’ starts with my own wreckage, then pulls the camera back on a country built by immigrants while criminalizing them, built on stolen land while calling itself innocent, and addicted to turning human suffering into headlines, entertainment and profit. America has always had a talent for disguising its damage as progress and deflecting the truth. Woody Guthrie sang, ‘This land was made for you and me,’ but we’re still deciding who gets to be included. Presidents, celebrities, saints, sinners, the common folk—maybe even AI—we all answer to something when no one else is in the room.” — Lawrence Rothman
“This song came to be in such an organic, spontaneous way. We’ve written and worked together so much, so having a song out in the world feels great—especially one as cinematic and dark as this one.” — Delaney Ramsdell
Jason Scott & The High Heat, “Fast As I Can Crawl”
Artist: Jason Scott & The High Heat
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Song: “Fast As I Can Crawl”
Album: Play Boy
Release Date: September 18, 2026
Label: Leo33
In Their Words: “Who doesn’t like bowling? This song makes me think of The Big Lebowski. So we made a video in a bowling alley because this song feels like bowling.” — Jason Scott
Foy Vance, “Feel the Cold” (Live at Home)
Artist: Foy Vance
Hometown: Bangor, Northern Ireland
Song: “Feel the Cold” (Live at Home)
Album: IF EP
EP Release Date: October 30, 2026
Full Album Release Date: April 30, 2027
Label: Rounder Records
In Their Words: On the surface, this song is a collection of vignettes regarding my time in Lanzarote and my eagerness to get back home to the cold area of Ireland. It also denotes returning to the cold reality waiting for me at home, my family in grief. Facing that grief myself took some courage.
“One of my favorite stories from Lanzarote that made it into the song was that a man named Brian hired me to be his driver, then skipped the island without paying me. A load of locals and holiday makers stood at the pier’s edge, throwing bread in the water and watching the feeding frenzy of the fish. Brian, without so much as a word, jumped in on top of the fish, fully clothed…the fish scattered to reveal very shallow water and he nearly broke his ankles. I don’t remember ever laughing that hard before or after. Even now, I can’t help but smile every time I remember Brian jumping in on the shoals.” — Foy Vance
Image Credits: Babysweet (Foy Vance), Lauren Wade (Valerie June)
