We might not love country music but we love Tyler Childers

I’ve spent over $20,000 on music over the last 30 years. It’s not a figure that I’m exceptionally comfortable with. But, when I’m feeling either anxious or sad, which is pretty much most of the time, tunes are the safe space I turn to. At just under a buck a ditty, that’s a shitload of songs. Some of them remind me of the things I’ve lost. Others bring me to whom I’d like to be. But there are precious few that capture the energy of who I am, at my core: an admittedly smarmy, disillusioned idealist who adores dabbling in small, casual evils. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that righteous indignation and entertainment born of slow-burning revenge are the twin stars that my soul revolves around.

Tyler Childer’s ‘Bitin’ List is one of the latter. I feel it deep in the cockles of my heart, where all my dark joy resides. It makes me feel seen and a little bit less lonely. The album it’s included on, Snipe Hunter, is as solid as they come. Produced by Rick Rubin, it’s one of the weirdest country joints out there right now, which is saying a lot in a world where Sturgill Simpson exists.

It’s Monday: treat yourself and have a listen. I challenge you not to get the chorus stuck in your thinking bits.