Caleb Lee Hutchinson Surprises With New EP, ‘Songs I’ll Never Play,’ Alongside Gory Short Film

Caleb Lee Hutchinson is embracing the Halloween spirit with the release of his EP titled Songs I’ll Never Play Again. 

The American Idol alum recently took to social media to surprise fans with the news of this spooky new collection of songs. He shared that this is the “most excited and nervous” he has ever been to release a project as he approaches a new era of his career. 

“I’ve always loved the horror movie genre, and if you know me, you’ve heard me rant about my favorite show, Dexter. I’d like to think the music on this project is haunting, melancholy, and very Halloween feeling overall,” Hutchinson wrote in his caption. “So I hope that the music and video excite people who are fans of those things like I am. Thanks for staying behind me all these years and I’m excited for the next chapter.”

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The 6-track project was inspired by an idea that Hutchinson had years ago, when writing one of the songs that is now featured on the EP. 

“I wrote the song ‘Preservation’ in the beginning of 2020 and had the thought that it reminded me of old school country/bluegrass murder ballads that I had heard as a child. Not so much in the lyrical content, but the overall feel,” he said in a recent release. “It felt like fall, trees dying, seasonal depression already on its way. The idea then became to make the whole project sound that way. Sort of nostalgic and eery, very much reflective of Halloween time.” 

Hutchinson perfectly captured his vision on Songs I’ll Never Play Again, which starts off on a gritty note with “Devil Woman.” His vicious vocals continue throughout the duration of the project with songs that are so honest and compelling, it’s scary. 

The remaining titles include “If You Don’t Want me,” ‘The Letter,” “Hold on to You,” “Preservation,” and “Freedom.”

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Along with the new 6 new songs, Caleb Lee Hutchinson also dropped an accompanying short film, that is a bit different from the usual music video, as he says in the opening clip while covered in fake blood. The singer/songwriter continues with a warning, letting fans know that blood, violence, and gore will all be featured in the visual.  

Watch The Short Film

“I had the thought of bringing to life a visual element that also reflected the same feel. As a massive fan of the horror genre in film, and a proud Dexter super fan, I thought it would be cool to stretch the meaning of the songs into a dramatic, psychological thriller. I tried to treat this entire project with the thought of, ‘What would I think was cool if I saw someone else doing it?’”

His own version of a horror film starts off with an intense fight between a couple, who winds up experiencing the acts of pure evil. While the track shuffles in the background, things take a deadly turn, and Hutchinson’s character is left cleaning up the mess. 

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“This whole project was for me, it allowed me to release songs I had cared about for a long time, and do something that felt artistically gratifying. I hope that people enjoy it this Halloween season, and so on.”  

In honor of the spine-chilling collection and video, Caleb Lee Hutchinson will be hosting a special release/Halloween party Monday (Oct. 31) at Bobby’s Idle Hour in Nashville from 6-8 pm.