Every week, ABC Country’s Grass Roots program shines a light on the best independently released country music. Selected from the hundreds of new tracks submitted, the one-hour program is now available on demand as well as premiering each Monday at 9 pm on ABC Country, showing the health of Aussie country music across all its sub-genres. Here are three of this week's tracks you should have on your radar. 

Head here to have a listen to this week’s full episode of Grass Roots.

William Alexander – Boundary Rider Blues

One of Australia’s most exciting new talents is back with a traditional country song. William Alexander has a warm, storytelling voice that seamlessly complements the mid-tempo drive of his latest track, Boundary Rider Blues.

Like much of his music, Boundary Rider Blues was born from Alexander’s own life stories and experiences. It was penned during his time as a station hand in the Riverina region of NSW, painting an evocative image of a young, lonely stockman keeping up with the crucial tasks of maintaining a property’s boundary and protecting livestock.

For his latest single, Alexander joined forces with Lindsay Waddington (LWM House), Michel Rose on pedal steel, Gus Fenwick on bass, Doug Gallacher on drums, Brendan Radford on acoustic guitar, Hugh Curtis on fiddles, and Lawrie Minson on dobro.

Alexander was recently named the 2025 Thornton Young Award winner. The initiative was founded by Lindsay Waddington, with support from CMAA, and provided Alexander the opportunity to record with Waddington in his studio. Boundary Rider Blues is just a taste of the full-length record to come soon.

Jodi Martin – Long Highway

Jodi Martin is an impressive singer-songwriter, sharing stories from the road while she’s backed by energetic acoustic guitar playing. With Long Highway, she transports listeners to the middle of nowhere, but we’re happy to be there with her.

Reflecting on shared humanity and connection within the vast unknown, Martin reminds us that the journey is just as important as the destination.

2025 marks a busy year for Martin, who’s set to embark on the Never Say Die! Tour while releasing new singles on the 25th of each month, a Best Of album, and launching her full-length album, World Turning, at the end of the year.

Josh Cunningham, of The Waifs and collaborating with Felicity Urquhart fame, has described Martin as possessing “heartwarming songs and hilarious stories,” and it’s hard to disagree with that statement.

Liam Maihi – Whiskey And You

From The Voice Australia grand finalist to country artist, Liam Maihi returns to the spotlight with a moving, loved-up single.

Whiskey And You is a highly relatable love song, backed by pedal steel, driving guitar and drums, and Maihi’s authentic songwriting style. His debut single marks a new chapter for the singer: one of honesty in his day-to-day life as a family man, and in his musical career.

Maihi co-wrote Whiskey And You with his fiancée, Courtney, which was recorded with producer Alex Mather (Robbie Mortimer, Rachael Fahim, Missy Lancaster) and a cast of Nashville heavyweights.

“I remember writing this song together at the kitchen bench one night, and thinking back, what a special moment that was for us,” Maihi recalled of first meeting Courtney. “The kids were in bed, and we had a moment to reminisce on how it all started.”

While Whiskey And You is his debut single, Maihi is known to audiences after being a grand finalist on the fourth season of The Voice Australia and has shared the stage with The Wolfe Brothers, Lee Kernaghan, and The McClymonts.

Rather than chase fame after The Voice, Maihi headed home to focus on what matters most to him: his family. He’s spent nearly a decade putting being a father above all else, and now we can hear him as a mature singer ready to share new stories.

You can listen to the latest full episode of ABC Country’s Grass Roots here.