Dillon Carmichael exhibits both personality and poise with his new single “Hot Beer,” staying faithful to some of traditional country’s most beloved tropes while also making way for his own individuality and sense of humor as a performer.
It’s a light-hearted zinger of a breakup song, as Carmichael reflects on all the things he’d rather do before he went back to an old relationship that didn’t work out. He’d rather drink a “Hot Beer,” as the title states, and he’d also rather “work a Saturday just for fun,” go hunting without his gun loaded or even try and build a fire when it’s pouring rain outside.
With examples full of beer, fishing trips and blue-collar rural living, Carmichael relies on the same subject matter that’s propped up country songs for decades, but his deep-throated baritone and lively vocal delivery make even the tiredest themes new again. His connection to traditional country is well-documented, both in past releases and in his upcoming Hot Beer EP. Not only does ’90s hitmaker David Lee Murphy turn up twice in the songwriting credits for the project, but the EP also includes Carmichael’s take on Montgomery Gentry‘s “Lucky Man,” reminding listeners that Carmichael is Eddie Montgomery‘s nephew and every bit the heir to his uncle’s robust vocal presence.
But anyone who’s listened to Carmichael can attest to the fact that he’s much more than a throwback: He’s no slouch as a songwriter, co-writing three of his EP’s six songs, and for the songs he didn’t write, he sampled from some of Nashville’s modern-day songwriting finest, culling tracks written by Ashley Gorley, Jessi Alexander, Ray Fulcher and Hardy. “Hot Beer” and Carmichael’s “Lucky Man” cover were also co-produced by one of country’s most successful traditional-leaning individualists, Jon Pardi.
Plus, Carmichael has proven a knack for appealing to modern-day country listeners. He may be sending “Hot Beer” to country radio, but another new song of his, “Sawing Logs,” recently went viral on TikTok.
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Dillon Carmichael’s “Hot Beer” Lyrics:
Girl, I knew it was a matter of time / ‘Fore you got dolled up, pulled into my drive / And apologized ’cause the other night you went crazy / You said you’re just here to collect your stuff / Now you’re crying and you’re talking ’bout making up / Like you wanna come back / Let me think about that, now, baby …
Chorus:
I’d rather drink a hot beer / Build a fire in the pouring rain / Burn all my fishing gear / Then set sail in a hurricane / Go hunting with an empty gun / And see a once-in-a-lifetime deer / Work a Saturday just for fun / Then come home and drink a hot beer …
I’m sorry if it sounds kinda overboard / But you cheated and you lied and you wrecked my Ford / So you might as well stay there on the porch now, honey / If you wanna know the odds of another try / They’re about the same as a tractor flyin’ / Quit your laughing, girl / I ain’t tryin’ to be funny …
Repeat Chorus
Come home and drink a skunked, old / Totally not cold / Flat and scratched ’cause it’s done been rolled / In the back of the bed with the trash and the tools / Hell, I’d even pop an O’Doul’s over you …
Repeat Chorus
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