Colby Acuff Announces New Album, “Enjoy The Ride,” & It Looks To Be One Of The Most Ambitious Country Records Ever Written

Undoubtedly one of the most underrated artists in the genre today, Colby Acuff has been nothing short of a musical powerhouse since his debut in 2020. Releasing an album each and every year since then, the “If I Were the Devil” singer has somehow just gotten better with time.

After releasing the beautiful ode to his home state of Idaho in 2023 on Western White Pines, Acuff followed it up last year with arguably his best work to date on American Son, a record chalked full of important tracks touching on everything from anxiety, depression and, as the title suggests, the fear of war in the current state of our country.

This year, the Idaho native has been relatively quiet release-wise, dropping the timely “Average American” on the 4th of July and following that up with the nostalgia-filled “Love Was Just a Feeling” back on August 8th. The limited amount of releases was for good reason, however.

Minutes ago, Acuff announced that his sixth studio album, Enjoy the Ride, is being released on October 3rd, and it looks to be his most ambitious project to date:

“I’m so happy to announce my new record Enjoy the Ride, an 11-song project that was made by you. After interviewing 40 random strangers off the street from three different cities, I wrote an 11-song concept record that hopefully lets you know that you’re not alone. This album taught me that everyone wants the same outcome, even if we don’t agree on the path. Life isn’t always perfect, but you only have one so enjoy the ride.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Colby Acuff (@colby_acuff)

It should go without saying that any time an artist like Acuff announces a new album, there should be an immense amount of hype surrounding the release. With “Enjoy the Ride,” however, it has all the makings of being one of the most unique and ultimately moving country albums of all time.

If you recall, back in November, Acuff took to X to announce that the next record would be a concept project revolving around interviewing average Americans throughout the country, learning about their perspectives and turning their stories into songs.

“I have decided that my next record will be a concept project. I will be traveling the country taking interviews of people and turn their story’s into songs. The adventure begins next week. destination, Western North Carolina.”

Flash forward to today, and he’s completed 40 separate interviews with folks across the country to complete the upcoming 11-track record. In his Instagram caption announcing the album, he noted he completed the interviews with his producer, Eddie Spear, before sitting down to write the songs afterward:

“I recorded 40 interviews with strangers while on a road trip with my producer, and then went in and wrote a record with all of their perspectives, pains and principles sewed throughout it. More to come on all of this, but hope you’re as excited as I am, and be sure to presave the album! Being a human is hard, but you’re not alone. Life is beautiful, Enjoy the Ride”

In a video attached to the album announcement, he would dive deeper into his perspective on making an album like this. Noting the response many had to American Son, the 28-year-old singer/songwriter wanted to give listeners a record that truly reflected their lived experiences:

“After we made ‘American Son,’ I set out on a writing journey where I really wanted to write songs that every single song gave people a ton of agency. And I wanted to write songs truly just for you, the listener. And I wanted to make a record for you, the listener. And I found that the best way I knew how to do it with 100% to make sure I knew it was for you, was I needed to go out and talk to people.”

I don’t think I can properly state just how rich of a concept this is for an album. Sure, there have been plenty of concept albums throughout country music history, from Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger to Ashley McBryde’s Lindeville. However, there truly hasn’t been a record centered around the interviewing average Americans and subsequently creating songs and stories based on their experiences. In what can only be described as a wholly unique intersection of art and journalism, Acuff is set to deliver one of the most unique albums written and recorded.

This concept itself also exists as a stark contrast between the independent country scene and the Nashville machine. As mainstream country continues to grow larger-than-life with the prominence of pop-elements and artists such as Morgan Wallen becoming megastars, Colby Acuff is trying to remind us that country music, at its core, is about the average person with this record.

In addition to Enjoy the Ride releasing on October 3, Acuff announced that two new songs, “His Song (What’s a Man Supposed to Be) and “Her Song (Numb to Everything),” will be releasing this Friday, September 5 as a teaser to what’s yet to come.The post Colby Acuff Announces New Album, “Enjoy The Ride,” & It Looks To Be One Of The Most Ambitious Country Records Ever Written first appeared on Whiskey Riff.