Adam Doleac’s ‘Neon Fools’ + 10 More New Country Songs You Need to Hear

Country stars are closing out 2019 with a slew of new songs! Read on to get to know all your favorite new tracks.

Adam Doleac, "Neon Fools":

Adam Doleac's smoldering, R&B-inflected new single, "Neon Fools," a song that tells the story of a relationship that's probably a bad idea -- but in the neon lights of a barroom, it's awfully tempting. "Let's let that neon fool us into thinkin' / Me and you ain't gonna burn out / Give into this thing we're feeling / Underneath these lights right now," Doleac croons in the chorus. He co-wrote "Neon Fools" with Andy Skib and Thomas Finchum. -- CL

Mary Chapin Carpenter, "Our Man Walter Cronkite":

Since Walter Cronkite left the nightly news, a lot has changed -- and few would say the world has changed for the better. In her latest release, Mary Chapin Carpenter gets nostalgic, longing for the time she would spend with her family listening to Cronkite. Carpenter explains in a press release, “My parents raised us to believe that people in jobs like Cronkite's told the truth; they raised us to believe in a world that reaches out to those who need help, that does not turn away from those less fortunate, or homeless, or those forced to leave their country because of the threat of violence, poverty and persecution.”

The singer adds that the song's meaning isn't just about Cronkite himself, but about the gentler world that she associates with him. “The arms were there to hold them, the eyes to see them, and the hearts of the world were there to love them. Because that was the right thing. It’s a different time now. I miss my parents, and I miss Walter Cronkite.” -- CC

The Secret Sisters, "Cabin":

The Secret Sisters look toward their upcoming Brandi Carlile-produced album, Saturn Return, with the release of its first single, "Cabin." Powerful and tumultuous, the song features rich harmony from the real-life sister duo.Due out in February 2020, Saturn Return speaks to a period of transformation for bandmates: They lost both grandmothers, and also both became first-time mothers over the course of making the record.

"This album is a reflection of us coming to terms with how to find our power in the face of an unfair world," the Secret Sisters explain of Saturn Return in a press release. "These songs lead listeners past ‘where happy man searches, to a place only mad women know.’ We question our purpose, our relationships, our faith. Trading the fears of our youth for the dread that rages within us as mature women." -- CL

Katie Pruitt, "Out of the Blue":

New love is an exciting and almost intoxicating experience. That is what Katie Pruitt hopes to capture with her new song, "Out Of The Blue." “This song is about being swept up in the initial high of infatuation, when you can’t imagine wanting to leave each other’s side,” Pruitt explains in a press release about the dreamy song.

“In the beginning where the feeling is new and you spend your days holding hands in the park, laying in the grass, watching the clouds move against a bright blue backdrop. Time quickly turns lovers into strangers though, just like it turns days into nights. The sun rises and sets on this type of infatuation, often in the same day.” "Out Of The Blue" will appear on Pruitt's upcoming debut album release, Expectations, set for release at the end of February. -- CC

Colin Elmore, "California Moon":

Following his latest release, "Guys Like Me," Colin Elmore serves up the rousing and spirited "California Moon," an ode to letting go of a lost love. In Elmore's case, he finds freedom from the pain of a breakup in a late-night drive and a clear sky. "I'm almost over you / 'Cause I know you won't be coming back anytime soon / You're just as quiet as the California moon..." Elmore sings in the rock-inflected chorus of the song. -- CL

The Ballroom Thieves, "Unlovely" (feat. Darlingside):

The Ballroom Thieves have shared the title track of their new album, Unlovely, which is due out on Feb. 14, 2020. Like many of the songs on the project, "Unlovely" speaks to a rage and frustration with American politics and the country's deep, embittered sense of division.

"I understand that many of us are tired of talking about what we call politics, and some don't feel that songwriters should be writing about the state of the world," the group's Calin Peters says in a press release. "But it's also personal, as my entire life has been negatively affected by the way things run...We stood by and waited for change, we trusted that our leadership had our best interest in mind, that they weren’t just setting it up for themselves, but we were mistaken.” -- CL

Morgan Myles, "Empire":

Morgan Myles is laying the encouragement on thick with the release of her song, “Empire.” “Empire” is a bonafide empowerment anthem about preserving in the face of adversity. Throughout the course of the song, Myles urges listeners to build up their courage and strength like an empire. Backed by strong instrumentals and powerful backup vocals, Myles sings about how there is a fighter, survivor and champion inside everyone as long as they dig deep. "Empire" is the first taste of Myles' upcoming release, Therapy. -- CC

John Moreland, "Harder Dreams":

John Moreland's "Harder Dreams" takes a zoomed-out, meditative look at humanity's hardest problems, like loneliness, capitalism and war. While those problems loom large to us down here on earth, Moreland's lyrics paint them as tiny, from the point of view of the gods looking down on earth.

However, the singer tells Fader that he didn't overthink the song's subject matter as he was writing it. "This song started with a drum machine loop, and the acoustic guitar part," Moreland explains. "I haven't stopped to think about what it's about or anything, but it was the first demo that [bandmate] John Calvin [Abney] and I did for the record, and it felt good, and set the tone for a lot of the instrument and arrangement choices on the record." -- CL

Marcus King, "One Day She's Here":

Blues rocker Marcus King serves up another slice of his soulful, Dan Auerbach-produced solo debut, El Dorado, with "One Day She's Here." Fans have come to expect acrobatic vocal runs and a vintage feel from King's solo work, and the singer delivers in spades with his latest release.

King tells Flood Magazine that the new tune came out of a writing session with Auerbach and Pat McLoughlin, and ties easily into El Dorado's vintage aesthetic. "A recurring theme throughout the record is old Cadillacs. And this idea of seeing something you love fading away into the distance appealed to me as a writer. Something that I think everybody can relate to is seeing something fade away like that," he explains. -- CL

Filmore, "London":

Nearly everyone knows that when you experience a breakup, there are painful little reminders about that person nestled throughout life. In his new release, “London,” Filmore sings about how that reminder can be something as large as a city.“I feel so helpless, and I feel so far away / If you knew where I was, I wonder what you’d say / I feel guilty, and I don’t know how to tell you / I saw London without you,” he sings. “‘London’ is about visiting a new city alone that you had always planned on seeing with someone special,” Filmore explained in a press release. “All the details in the song relate to missing an ex with the hope of one day coming back to share it all with one another.” -- CC

Jordan Rager, "The Wrong Ones":

With every wrong turn in your love life, things can seem a little less romantic and a lot more hopeless. That's more or less the idea that Jordan Rager is going for with in his song “The Wrong Ones” -- with a little twist, to appreciate all the love interests that turn out to be the "wrong ones." Rager penned "The Wrong Ones" alongside Michael Whitworth and Brent Anderson while talking about their experiences with relationships. Rager explained in a press release that the group “started talking about the ups and downs of love.” He continued, “That eventually lead us to the phrase ‘it takes a lot of getting it wrong before you can get it right’ and the idea ‘The Wrong Ones’ was born.” -- CC