Exclusive Premiere: Erin Kinsey Unveils Acoustic Performance For ‘Hate This Hometown’

RECORDS Nashville artist Erin Kinsey is premiering the acoustic performance of her brand new emotional and personal track “Hate This Hometown” exclusively with readers of Country Now.

Providing an intimate setting for the stripped-down take, Kinsey appears in a soft-lit room adorned with decorative light bulbs. Sporting a denim vest with her hair pulled back in a half ponytail, she confidently plays her acoustic guitar alongside a piano player. With no backup band behind her, the singer/songwriter and talented multi-instrumentalist paints a picture of what it is like to return to a hometown that brings back the memories of a whirlwind romance with her set of strong country vocals. 

“When I drive down these roads I see you and me at 16 / When I never could know coming back would be so sweet / Every chance I get I wanna go now / And every memory makes we wanna slow down / You make it hard to hate this hometown,” Kinsey sings the chorus of the nostalgic song while gently strumming on her acoustic guitar.

“Having the whole band and the lights is very fun, but one of my favorite ways to perform has always been acoustic and broken down,” Kinsey told Country Now of the acoustic clip. “With the lyrics in this song being so true to me, it felt fitting to film this video in a setting where the words get to really be heard with the music more stripped back.”

Indeed, the “Hate This Hometown” lyrics speak truth to Kinsey’s life. She and her current boyfriend, whom she began dating as a freshman in high school, are still going strong. The Rockwall, Texas native even credits the couple’s relationship as being “a rock for me throughout the last few years.” But, aside from the relationship she shares with her high school sweetheart, “Hate This Hometown” also pays tribute to Kinsey’s life growing up.

“‘Hate This Hometown’ is one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written. Every line and every detail is directly from my story….,” Kinsey says of the tune, which she penned alongside Kathleen Higgins and Dave Cohen. “It truly is my story down to every word. For example, on the day of my high school graduation, I spent the whole day packing the U-Haul in my parents’ driveway. The next morning I left at 6:00 a.m. to drive to Nashville. I couldn’t wait to get out of my small town and never could have guessed how much I would love going home three years later.”

“Going back home is so special to me. Of course, getting to see my family is always great, but being from a small town, almost every street and every stoplight holds a memory for me. I feel really lucky to have a place that is special to call home,” she adds.

The acoustic video for “Hate This Hometown” follows Kinsey’s recent song, “Drunk Too,” radio-ready “Just Drive,” and sassy “Better On Me,” and also comes ahead of her upcoming six-track EP, 40 East, set for release on March 25, 2022.