See Frankie Ballard Take a Joyride in Picturesque ‘El Camino’ Video
Frankie Ballard speeds away from a broken heart in “El Camino,” the second release from his upcoming Sunshine & Whiskey follow-up, El Rio.
Written by Chris Stapleton and Lee Thomas Miller, the song doubles down on Ballard’s commitment to “create an album where you [hear] five guys playing music, because I still believe in that.” There are no keyboard loops, no manufactured drum sounds, no production techniques borrowed from the world of R&B music. Instead, “El Camino” rides a straightforward Southern rock groove, with Ballard delivering a kiss-off to the “white-bread town” and disinterested lover who’ve given him all the fuel he needs to throw his car in drive.
The video fleshes out that storyline with help from Ballard’s love interest: a four-legged co-star named Bella. The scraggly puppy rarely leaves his side throughout the clip, with the two taking a joyride through the Tennessee countryside to clear minds and mend hearts. Their getaway vehicle is an old El Camino, its color muted from years of similar drives. Like the song itself, the clip doesn’t offer up any special effects, focusing instead on the simple thrills of old-school muscle cars and picturesque scenery.
El Rio, whose first single “It All Started With a Beer” is still climbing its way up the country charts, is due out June 10th.