HARDY Returns To His Roots With New Songs, ‘Favorite Country Song’ And ‘Buck On The Wall’

Today, HARDY unveils a set of very special and personal songs – “Favorite Country Song” and “Buck On The Wall” – in anticipation of his new EP, COUNTRY!, arriving May 2 via Big Loud. These tunes mark the first new music from the superstar in 2025, and it’s safe to say it was worth the wait.

HARDY has always been one to break beyond the barriers of country music to create a sound that is all his own. He’s developed a reputation as a country rocker, more recently leaning into his heavier, hard-hitting side, however with these two tracks, he pulls from the depths of his small-town roots to celebrate where he came from and the kind of classic country songs that raised him.

“Two new songs—I’m extremely excited,” he shared. “Both songs remind me of a very special place, the place where I grew up, the place where I became who I am—my deer camp. It’s now the only place I have to go home to since somebody lives in my childhood home. I feel like it’s been a long time coming to put out some music that gets back to my roots.”

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“Favorite Country Song”

Penned by HARDY with Ashley Gorley, Beau Bailey and Zach Abend, “Favorite Country Song” opens with the hitmaker tipping his hat country music classics like Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried,” Eric Church’s “Sinners Like Me,” Brooks and Dunn’s “My Maria” and more. But he makes it clear that no hit, no matter how successful, can compete with the real-life soundtrack of the backwoods. The nostalgic anthem continues to celebrate the unmatched feeling of small-town living through its laid-back imagery and gritty vocals.

“A north wind blowin’ through a patch of pines/ Whippoorwills singin’ ’bout summertime/ Raindrops drummin’ on rusted tin/ Flathead draggin’ out twenty pound Stren/ Oh, oh/ Strike up the fire, somebody cue the crickets in the/ creekbank choir/ Gotta get back ’cause it’s been too long/ That’s my favorite country song,” he sings on the chorus.

“Buck On The Wall”

Meanwhile, “Buck On The Wall” takes listeners into the home in the woods built by his late grandfather that had a buck on the wall he killed “back in ‘79/ up on that power line hill.” This is a part of the house that HARDY will never forget and as a way to honor his loved one who’s passed, he’s determined to find his own buck on that same strip of land and hang it right next to his grandpa’s trophy.

He shares a look back into his days of hunting on the cover photo, which finds a 13-year-old HARDY posing with a “10-point deer” that he shot “somewhere in Neshoba County.”

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In a conversation with Country Now, HARDY reveals that both tracks were inspired by his “favorite place in the world,” which is the small town in Philadelphia, Mississippi. “Buck On The Wall” particularly pays tribute to his grandfather’s hard work, building a home from the fruits of the land.

“On the edge of the county, my grandfather in 1989, he owned timber on that land and he cut a big track of that timber and he built this house with it. And it’s not nice at all, which I love and wouldn’t change it, you know what I mean?” he shared. “That’s the best thing about it. But it’s essentially the size of a triple wide trailer. But all of the wood from that house was built from that land. And all of my favorite memories growing up, and even still now are there.”

That land has been in HARDY’s family for 35 years and it remains a vital part of HARDY’s life, as it’s now used as their deer camp.

“It means even more now. And he cared so much about deer hunting and made sure that the work got done. He’s just such a staple in that,” he continued. “So I wrote a song back in August to honor that, and basically this song talks about how I don’t care if it’s zero degrees, I’m going to sit there. I’m bound and determined to continue that legacy and to make him proud and put another buck on the wall.”

That dream finally came true this year, he revealed, describing the moment of victory as “serendipitous.”

“It is really, really special…The song Rocks too. It is pretty fun. But yeah, it’s just a really, really special moment and I can’t wait for people to hear that.”

When announcing the new songs in a video shared across socials, HARDY admitted that while he couldn’t get album done in time for his upcoming tour, he felt that fans still deserved some new music in the meantime.

“I promise you there is a big ol album coming out later this year,” he shared.

Until then, fans can anticipate his next 5-song EP coming out next month.

“You guys deserve to hear new HARDY music before the JIM BOB world tour this summer and I’m excited to share this new chapter with you, starting TONIGHT 🤘🏼”

HARDY’s massive JIM BOB World Tour will find him making his way across the U.S. from May 22 through September 24. The tour includes stops at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, New York City’s Madison Square Garden and many more with Koe Wetzel, Stephen Wilson Jr., Sikarus and McCoy Moore serving as support on select dates. 

The new dad will also appear at festivals in North America, first-ever headline shows in Europe in addition to delivering his first-ever performance on the iconic Grand Ole Opry stage on April 29.