The Kentucky Gentlemen know how to party. “Whatever You’re Up For,” the new song from the country duo made up of twin brothers Derek and Brandon Campbell, is the kind of inclusive, innovative banger that country radio could use more of.
“Yeah, you love to keep me guessing / And you know that’s fine with me,” Brandon sings in the first line, setting the stage for a more respectful kind of country party song. Instead of telling their partners what they want to do with them — a hallmark of the macho country songs that have dominated radio for over a decade — the singers are happy to let the other person call the shots.
The chorus layers banjo over chugging guitar chords and siren-like riffs as the singers unleash the excitement that’s been building: “I’m down for whatever you’re up for / Staying in, sipping wine on the front porch / Or downtown, we can burn up the dance floor / Hit the blacktop, don’t stop til it’s just us around.”
Subsequent lines about blue jeans and a “truck bed toolbox” demonstrate the duo’s mastery of country tropes, which they deploy in a knowing and playful manner. The video, which was partially filmed in their hometown of Versailles, Ky., features shots of the twins handling horses on a ranch interspersed with scenes from a late-night house party.
The Kentucky Gentlemen are part of a vanguard of Black, queer artists who are breathing life into contemporary country. The duo will be joining the Black Opry Revue on dates in Atlanta and New York later this month. Tickets for those dates are currently available via City Winery.
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