Stacie Hestand Raised Rowdy Contributor
Following up his 2017 EP Bad For You (which features a track written and performed with Luke Combs), upstate New York native Tom O’Connor is releasing a lively new single that cements his place as a riser in the Texas/Red Dirt scene. Having honed his sound over the years, his dedication is clearly paying off – O’Connor recently played storied venues like Cheatham Street Warehouse and John T. Floore’s Country Store with acts such as Curtis Grimes and Mike Ryan, and has upcoming shows opening for Flatland Cavalry. “She’s Hell,” written with Taylor Davis and J.P. Williams, is the first track released off O’Connor’s next project recorded at Melody Mountain Ranch in Stephenville, TX and Southlight Sound in Nashville.
Blazing open with a guitar lick, “She’s Hell” packs all the heat of a tumultuous relationship with someone who’s always a paradox – an “angel dressed in black/grabs ahold of me like a heart attack”. Not missing a beat, O’Connor powers into the chorus with a voice that has a little bit of gravel and a whole lot of passion: “it’s like riding on a roller coaster/all the way up, all the way down.” The song’s rocking sound, catchy lyrics and authentic delivery combine in a perfect storm to make it just as addictive as the girl it’s describing.
The track will debut on Spotify (PRESAVE HERE) , Apple Music, iTunes (PRE-ORDER HERE), and Amazon Music on October 25, but Tom was kind enough to let us give you an exclusive early listen here.
If you like what you hear (and we really think you will), follow along with him on Instagram to keep up with tour dates and listen to his previous EP below – it should hold you over until what’s sure to be a killer project is released in the future.