Sam Hunt dropped his much-anticipated new track, “Sinning With You,” on Friday (Jan. 3) and while it may seem like a love song at first listen, the message actually goes much deeper than that.
The song was inspired by Hunt’s Cedarville, Georgia upbringing and in a way, it’s the opposite side of the story of his latest single, “Kinfolks.”
“‘Kinfolks’ talks about my hometown and growing up in the South in a lighthearted way,” the superstar recently shared with ABC Radio. “And ‘Sinning with You’…it’s kind of a commentary on growing up in the South, some of the heavier side of that journey, the crossroads you kind of come to as you’re growing up and trying to figure out what some of the traditions that you grew up in [mean], and what faith really means to you and just where the truth lies.”
“I guess just searching for truth as a young person growing up in a crazy world,” he added. “But it still reflects that. It still goes back to my hometown…the theme in that song.”
Lyrically, the song tells the story of two lovers who, on paper, aren’t exactly right for each other.
“Raised in the first pew, praises for Yeshua/ Case of a small town repression/ Your body was baptized, so disenfranchised/ I was your favorite confession,” Hunt sings in the first verse, his raw vocals backed by an acoustic guitar.
Sonically, “Sinning With You” is a bit more stripped down than some of Hunt’s previous releases. Its minimal production allows Hunt’s smooth vocals to shine.
“Kinfolks” and “Sinning With You” are slated to appear on Hunt‘s highly anticipated sophomore album, which has yet to be announced. The project is the follow-up to his 2014 release, Montevallo.