Hear Cody Jinks’ Brooding New Song ‘Must Be the Whiskey’
Cody Jinks is never one for pretense, but he cuts to the quick on moody slow-burner “Must Be the Whiskey,” the no-nonsense new single from his just announced LP, Lifers.
The first song to receive an official release from Lifers – the eighth album from the thrash-metal singer turned indie-country outlaw – chugs along with a martial, and somewhat sinister, focus. “I got ‘I love you’ on my mind, I got Jim Beam on my breath,” Jinks sings with seemingly clear-eyed honesty — or least self-laceration — as he tries to assess how he landed his latest relationship on the rocks. Yet his own admissions of drunkenness undercut the very idea that he’s as in-love as he thinks he is in the first place.
Though “Must Be the Whiskey” is the lead track to be premiered from Lifers, it’s not the first of the album’s songs to make the rounds. Over the winter, a live rendition of another also surfaced, “Can’t Quit Enough,” an uptempo, boot-scooting boogie that set a very different tone from its counterpart. There’s a thread between the pair, though, as “Can’t Quit Enough,” an ode to the working-class musician, shares a blue-collar sensibility with “Must Be the Whiskey,” for better and – in the case of the latter song – for worse.
Lifers is due to be released July 27th via Rounder Records, marking the Texan’s first record with the Nashville label. Jinks’ last album, I’m Not the Devil, climbed to Number Four on the Top Country Albums chart in 2016. He plays back-to-back nights at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20th and 21st, and recently announced his Loud and Heavy Fest. Set for August 18th in Jinks’ hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, the daylong concert will include performances by Jinks, Corrosion of Conformity, the Sword, Colter Wall and more. Pre-sale tickets are available now.
Here’s the track list for Lifers:
1. “Holy Water”
2. “Must Be the Whiskey”
3. “Somewhere Between I Love You and I’m Leavin'”
4. “Lifers”
5. “Big Last Name”
6. “Desert Wind”
7. “Colorado”
8. “Can’t Quit Enough”
9. “7th Floor”
10. “Stranger”
11. “Head Case”
