Cole Chaney Goes Country-Grunge On New Single “Alone?”

The wait is over, Cole Chaney is back with new music. And for his first single in nearly three years, the pride of Cattlesburg, Kentucky is going full blown Appalachian grunge on us.

Not necessarily in the heavy, distorted guitar sense that my mind goes to when I think of some of grunge’s most iconic songs, though. In fact, sonically, the song is still very country in many ways, with a calculated, string-infused attack featuring mandolin, fiddle, and upright bass. But instead it’s the vocal delivery in which we hear Chaney tapping into an iconically gritty, raw, and hauntingly resonant sound that resembles that of legendary grunge vocalists like Alice in Chain’s Layne Staley.

And it all makes sense given that Chaney has been an outspoken proponent of  the’90s alt-rock and grunge scene throughout his career, and has even been known to cover Alice in Chains and other artists of the era from time to time.

Check out Cole Chaney’s latest single “Alone?” for yourself here:

What a heater from one of country music’s most underrated artists.

While we’re talking about it, I also can’t help but mention that he posted a killer Easter egg to Instagram just a few days prior to the single’s release, before new music had been confirmed. As an unashamed SpongeBob fan myself, I appreciated the use of a classic episode clip, but I had absolutely no clue what Chaney’s reason for posting this was.

It all makes sense in hindsight…

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A post shared by Cole Chaney (@colechaneymusic)

Anyway, “Alone?” marks Chaney’s first new music release since September 2022 when he released four original songs in tandem with OurVinyl for his OurVinyl Sessions EP. Prior to that, Chaney’s catalog was solely comprised of his spectacular 12-track debut album Mercy with which he busted onto the Appalachian scene in 2021.

Although he has been touring a good amount over the last several years, Chaney has only released 17 songs to date, and he has never done so in a consistent or heavily publicized manner. I absolutely respect an artist for doing things how and when they want to do, and I think the relative scarcity of Chaney’s music paired with a pretty understated online presence certainly adds a layer of mystery and intrigue to it all for the fans. But man, I sure do hope there’s another album on the way, and I know I’m not alone in that sentiment.

In the meantime, though, or in case you aren’t too familiar with his catalog, here are a few of my favorite Cole Chaney tracks to hold us over.

“Silver Run”

“Mercy”

“Spirit”

Cole Chaney Tour Dates:

6/12 – Duke’s Indy – Indianapolis, IN*

6/13 – Rose Bowl Tavern – Urbana, IL*

6/14 – Free Range Music & Food Festival – Des Moines, IA^

6/16 – The Stache at the Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI*

6/17 – Carol’s Pub – Chicago, IL*

6/19 – The Golden Record – St. Louis, MO*

6/20 – Proud Larry’s – Oxford, MS*

6/21 – Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack – Little Rock, AR*

6/23 – Mercury Lounge – Tulsa, OK*

6/25 – Barnato – Omaha, NE*

6/26 – Blue Ox Music Festival – Eau Claire, WI^

6/27 – Three Three Five – Green Bay, WI*

6/28 – Jammin’ on the Lawn @ Friendly Valley Tavern – Peoria, IL

7/19 – Little Sandy Shakedown – Wurtland, KY^

8/30-8/31 – Alley Fest Music Festival – Paintsville, KY^

9/4 – Unbroken Circle Music Festival – Madison, IN^

*w/ Abby Hamilton

^festival date

And if you’ve made it this far, here’s an iconic video of Layne Staley and his band Alice in Chains performing “Nutshell” for MTV unplugged back in ’96. I think it’s pretty clear Chaney has drawn some inspiration from the late great grunge artist.

The post Cole Chaney Goes Country-Grunge On New Single “Alone?” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.