'The Mockingbird and The Crow': a Track-by-Track Guide to Hardy's Country-Metal Odyssey

If you came of age in the '90s and early aughts and lived someplace comparable to Hardy's hometown of Philadelphia, Miss., you knew guys in high school who'd blast more than Garth Brooks and Brooks & Dunn from their jacked-up pickup trucks. Rap music was often in the mix, making acts like Florida Georgia Line less of an anomaly than some critics assume. The same demographic embraced the Limp Bizkits and Puddles of Mudd of the moment, as well, though that's less obvious on the surface level of mainstream country songs-- including the rock-fueled material of Brantley Gilbert and other 21st century stars.

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On The Mockingbird & The Crow, Hardy paints a more accurate picture of many of his peers' formidable listening years by injecting heavy rock --a catch-all term for everything from grunge to rap-metal-- into the formula that's slingshotted him from songwriting acclaim to solo stardom.

"I would love for people to be as taken aback as possible," HARDY told Spin about his country-metal vision. "I would love for people to be taken on an emotional rollercoaster... The highest expectation I could have is to make people relate to a song, really feel something and maybe get through some sort of trauma or anything like that because of it. That's my shit, man. That's what I do it for."

Hardy doesn't shun the pop-country mold that brought him to the dance, with the first half of the album being more in line with the modern Nashville sound. The last half ups the rock quotient without downplaying jokey boasts of being "Rednecker" than thou. Most importantly, it's pulled off in a way that won't alienate Hardy's established audience or newbies fond of his non-country reference points.

Read on for a track-by-track breakdown for an album that, despite straying from the norm, makes perfect sense as a representation of era-specific nostalgia.

"Beer"

The countrified half of the album begins with a beer-drinking song. There's a twist to what otherwise might be just another ode to twist-off caps-- beer itself narrates a trip down memory lane. A depressant in disguise doesn't come across as a well-intentioned friend, but it's a hell of a storyteller. Listen here.

"Red" (Feat. Morgan Wallen)

The second track gets snared by the cliche net that the opener slices right through. Hardy and old pal Morgan Wallen compile a small town-themed roll call of red things, from necks to bars on the American flag, while vehemently insisting that politics doesn't belong on their list. Wallen is a streaming numbers magnet, so at the very least, this low point will attract more ears to the album's highs. Listen here.

"Wait in the Truck" (Feat. Lainey Wilson)

First released last August, "Wait in the Truck" quickly became a high water mark for both Hardy and his collaborator, fellow country supernova Lainey Wilson. It's a captivating tale that's deeply rooted in country's murder ballad and story-song traditions.

"Hunter [Phelps] and I came up with that title together one time," Hardy told Apple Music's Today's Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen. "And we came across that idea, we brought it back up. And Hunter, I think it was Hunter, was like, 'Dude, why don't we just write the shit out of it and try to make a murder ballad and that 'Ole Red' [by Blake Shelton] storytelling?" And then, I don't even remember the rest. The creative thing was just flowing, and it just all happened. And then, Renee [Blair] actually did all the 'have mercies' and stuff, which became such a huge part of that song... I sang the girl part originally, and then, Renee came in and sang the demo, and then, Lainey [Wilson], of course, on the record."

Listen here.

"Drink One for Me"

Like Luke Bryan's similarly-titled "Drink a Beer," "Drink One for Me" tells a more somber tale than its party-hearty title might imply. It reads off a deceased person's farewell letter to friends that encourages those left behind to continue living life to its fullest. Listen here.

"I in Country"

Another showpiece of Hardy's tender heart, the cleverly titled "I in Country" captures the sensitive side of a lonely man in rural America. Even with hunting and fishing on our narrator's agenda, he's not fully at peace without a special someone. "There ain't no I in country," he concludes. "But there's a Y-O-U." Listen here.

"Screen"

What begins as a lament of the unending darkness on illuminated smart phone screens turns into a fist-pumping anthem in favor of viewing life through a screened-in front porch. "These days, under a rock doesn't sound half bad," Hardy concludes after painting a Norman Rockwell world with words. Listen here.

"Happy"

Hardy takes a break from framing alcohol as the devil on many folks' shoulders to consider the angel in the other ear. In the process, he drafts a broad and accurate outline of the battles waged inside our minds. Listen here.

"Here Lies Country Music"

This steel guitar-drenched homage to classic country music imagines a nightmarish hellscape in which false notions that the genre is "dead" are actually true. Though its title may up "Murder on Music Row" expectations, it's more of a celebration of country music's good bill of heath, as told by one of today's most prominent songwriters. Listen here.

"The Mockingbird & The Crow"

Slap in the middle of the playlist, Hardy transitions from one chapter to the next with a song that starts as folk-influenced pop-country before shifting gears into nu-metal overdrive. From here on out, the singer-songwriter applies his usual lyrical themes to more brooding and less typically country-sounding songs. Listen here.

"Sold Out"

Like other noteworthy tracks on the rock half of The Mockingbird & The Crow, "Sold Out" would sound at home in a very specific setting. Its post-grunge edge and devil-may-care tone suits the rough and tumble world of pro wrestling. WWE in particular is pretty much the last pop culture bastion of '90s and early aughts rock, so it's no wonder that Hardy will perform live on Jan. 28 at the Royal Rumble, an annual premium live event. Listen here.

"Jack"

Hardy lends alcohol a voice again on the album's best song. While "Beer" boasted of good times, "Jack" gloats about the wages of sin. Intentionally or not, it's like a two-act play about youth and consequences. More notably, it's the best realization of Hardy's version of '90s music nostalgia. Listen here.

"Truck Bed"

"Jack" strikes again, causing relationship issues in this anti-love song. Sonically, the catchiest elements of post-grunge wash over whistle-along pop-country of the Dustin Lynch variety. Listen here.

".30-06"

A breakup song with sharp heavy metal teeth, ".30-06" is among Hardy's best attempts to cross modern country storytelling with sounds from the '90s beyond what got country airplay. Listen here.

"I Ain't in the Country No More"

This fish-out-of-water story likely lines up with its performer's own trek from small town Mississippi dreamer to big-time touring act. Of the rock songs, it's the most ready-made for this summer's country festival stages. Listen here.

"Radio Song" (Feat. Jeremy McKinnon)

The familiar wails of A Day to Remember's Jeremy McKinnon puzzle-piece into this tasty, light-hearted send-up of country and heavy rock cliches. Funny enough, it's better than most songs blatantly written to crack the algorithm.

"I think the radio, there's not a specific person, but there's just such a formula to radio for the most part," Hardy told Apple Music's Today's Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen. "And obviously, great things kind of break through, but like... there is a formula. And many, many, many times, 95 percent of the time, there does have to be a truck and there does have to be a girl. But our intention for that song was truly less making a statement and more of just it being like fun and "everybody, come on, let's all have a sense of humor about it, because we all are aware."... Everybody should be in on that joke."

Listen here.

"Kill Sh!t Till I Die"

Lyrically, this one posits hunting as something many learn to love as children and turn to as adults for a mental vacation from day-to-day stressors. Intentional or not, the added nu-metal aggression lends a tongue-in-cheek feel to the song's hyper-masculine theme. Listen here.

"The Redneck Song"

One last example of Hardy's own brand of country-rock barely conceals a singalong folk song about down-home living. Though similar themes pop up across 17 songs, the seasoned Nashville songwriter avoids being repetitive on a semi-autobiographical concept album about the musical influences and rural experiences that inform his creative process. Listen here.

READ MORE: 10 Country Acts Poised for a Breakout Year in 2023