Cover Photo from Slade Coulter on Instagram
Up-and-coming Texas artist Slade Coulter has finally released his debut album, Best of Me. The past singles he has dropped have perked some ears around the scene as of late, so this record is something that many people have been looking forward to for a while. Well, I’m happy to inform you that the wait was worth it.
Kicking us off is the strong opening track, “But Me.” Released as a single in July of this year, this song is super dope. There’s a nice rock element to this song with the help of the bluesy riff throughout, plus Coulter’s lyricism is standout as well. “Coming Back Around” was also released as a single a month before “But Me”, and this one is interesting. There is a very cool balance of rock ambiance with some country influence mixed perfectly, also including some more great songwriting. “Hey Mary,” a personal favorite, is up next. We first heard this one all the way back in February of 2021, and it gets better every time I hear it. There is a fantastic melody with a hook that grabs you from the start all while being sonically exceptional.
The title track “Best of Me” is yet another great example of Coulter’s already matured songwriting with some nice production that really lifts the track up a bar. Following that is “Hang Me Out to Dry,” which was put out as a single back in December of 2021, that includes some twangy guitar strung together with a steady beat that flows very well with Coulter’s vocals. “Get Well” features a great utilization of the drums with a melody that’ll plant in your ear right away, with “Remember Us” following up with the new sound of today’s Texas alternative scene written all over it. He pulls it off well.
“Too Late to Turn Around” and “Lesson I Ain’t Learned” are some strong back-end tracks on the record that spotlight Coulter’s vocals and lyricism yet again, with “Quite Alright” rounding them out as a nice mellow rock song, including a well-placed guitar solo to boot. Finally, we get the closing tune “Hell Bent,” which is another very cool track. It has a very haunting aesthetic and some gnarly effects that are utilized perfectly. Coulter and his band sound especially good here and deliver an awesome conclusion to this record.
All in all, we got a banger here. If you aren’t hip to Slade Coulter yet, please do yourself a favor and start listening as well as start supporting him. Go listen to Best of Me now!