Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes, Ruby Shay & The Red Horse, Bully Hay: Highlights From This Week’s ‘Grass Roots’

Every week, ABC Country's Grass Roots program shines a light on the best independently released Australian country content. 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 four 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.

Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes - Long Time Coming

Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes are back with an instant Americana classic in Long Time Coming. Perhaps one of the busiest men in Australian country music, Bryan and his band have released what might be their boldest track to date.

A sprawling storytelling epic, Long Time Coming was released alongside the instrumental Double A Side track, Wild Running. With Long Time Coming, Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes muse on letting a loved one – or an idea of yourself – go. It’s relatable, it’s entrancing, and it’s memorable.

Joined by Henry Wagons and Gabriella Cohen on backing vocals, Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes are at their best on this rocking new single.

Ruby Shay ft. The Red Horse - Haven’t Met You Yet

Ruby Shay knows how to move people. And with her band, The Red Horse, the NSW Central Coast-based singer shines with the pop-country instrumentals backing her.

While the music itself is bright and happy-sounding, thematically, Haven’t Met You Yet is about Shay’s actual experience with pregnancy and infant loss.

Not originally meant to be released, Shay changed her mind after receiving an overwhelming response after performing it live. With Haven’t Met You Yet, Shay and The Red Horse offer hope and a voice for those who often feel alone and like they can’t speak about such a tragic ordeal. It’s an important song about love, loss, hurt, hope, and moving forward.

Bully Hay - Bushfire Moon

It’s not easy to sing about horrible events. With Bushfire Moon, Tasmanian singer-songwriter Bully Hay embraces Australiana – a form of rock music – and country, a glowing acoustic arrangement allowing him to present his very best storytelling.

Produced by The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin, Bushfire Moon comes from Hay’s upcoming debut album, Black Dogs And Song Birds, and was inspired by the aftermath of the Dunalley bushfires.

Hay said about the song, “I had this fictional story in my head inspired by those events of a volunteer firefighter right in the thick of it, fighting the fires and totally exhausted. All he can think of is finding his love, determined to find her amongst the chaos.”

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