Ashley McBryde Sets Rules for Hooking Up in New Song ‘One Night Standards’

Ashley McBryde sets some ground rules for a casual encounter in the new song “One Night Standards,” released on Friday. Written by McBryde with Shane McAnally and Nicolette Hayford, it’s the Arkansas native’s first release to follow her major-label debut album, Girl Going Nowhere.

With a calm and determination that mirrors the steady thump of the kick drum, McBryde defines some boundaries for the other person in this nondescript hotel room. The less they know about one another, the better, she figures — they can scratch whatever itch they may have and then go on about their business when it’s done, no strings attached. “It’s just a room key, you ain’t gotta lie to me/Can’t you just use me like I’m using you,” she sings, hinting that the other person may be expressing a desire for something more.

Good Friday morning!!!! Wake up and smell the country music!!! Love love love this soon to be @AshleyMcBryde standard. pic.twitter.com/uClOkdGDuf

— Brandy Clark (@TheBrandyClark) August 30, 2019

“Wake up and smell the country music! Love love love this soon-to-be Ashley McBryde standard,” tweeted Brandy Clark, who chronicled a similar hotel tryst in her 2014 song “What’ll Keep Me Out of Heaven.”

McBryde’s Girl Going Nowhere was released in 2018 and included the singles “Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” “Radioland,” and the biographical title track. This fall, she has an extended run of European dates before joining up with Miranda Lambert’s Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour for several shows.