Eric Church depicts the thrill of a life on the move with the one you love in “Hell of a View,” a tender mid-tempo ballad with shades of his hit “Springsteen.” It’s Church’s latest release from an upcoming project, the follow-up to 2018’s Desperate Man.
Penned by Church with Casey Beathard and Monty Criswell, “Hell of a View” takes a romantic look at a road-less-traveled relationship and the “reckless” existence that necessitated it. “You liked the thought of chasin’ life instead of dollar bills,” Church sings. “We’re livin’ reckless, nothin’ to catch us baby but the ground.”
The track builds from a steady kick-drum pulse and restrained guitars to a kaleidoscopic jangle in the sing-along choruses, evoking solo Tom Petty along with his own past work in its ringing open chords. Longtime Church touring vocalist Joanna Cotten is also a big presence on the song, her soulful voice leaping out during the second verse.
“Hell of a View” follows a series of recent new Church songs, including the big-rig anthem “Bad Mother Trucker,” “Crazyland,” and the furious “Stick That in Your Country Song,” which he performed on the 2020 ACM Awards. All of these songs came out of sessions for Church’s yet-to-be-announced next album, which was written in his native North Carolina.