This Week’s Hot Country Hits: Freya Josephine Hollick, Jake Whittaker, Tori Forsyth & More

Gosh dang, what a week it’s been for scorchin’ new country tunes! Not only were we blessed with spicy new releases from some of Australia’s finest up-and-comers, like Freya Josephine Hollick (who just dropped Graceless), Jake Whittaker (who went all out with The Next You’re Gone) and Tori Forsyth (whose new cut Alchemist is destined to be a hit), but the international heavyweights were out in full force: Miranda Lambert came in guns blazing with her wicked new banger Wranglers, for example, while Kameron Marlowe delivered another instant classic in On My Way Out, and Kane Brown got his fans going absolutely mental with the Marshmello-assisted Miles On It.

With all of that in mind, now seems like as good a time as any to remind you – or clue you in, if you didn’t know already – that we have our very own playlist dedicated to bringing you the best new music from all corners of the country music landscape, fittingly named Hot Country Hits Australia. We update it every Friday with more than a dozen of the brand new tracks we simply can’t get enough of, giving you the ultimate soundtrack to fuel your weekend.

You can listen to the Hot Country Hits Australia playlist on Spotify (here) and Apple Music (here) – and make sure to hit us up on Instagram or Facebook to let us know what songs you’ve been loving!

Here are just a few of our personal favourites from this week’s update to the playlist...

Freya Josephine Hollick – Graceless

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WHAT SHE SAYS: “Written during my daughter’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in a sleepless window of time when a beautiful relationship with one of my favourite people was brought to an abrupt end against our wishes, right in the midst of one of the most challenging passages of time I’ve experienced. It’s a song of learning to journey in equanimity as we battle the seas of human existence, to carry ourselves with grace, even when others fail to, and to find deep resolve and understanding in the face of adversity.”

Jake Whittaker – The Next You’re Gone

WHAT HE SAYS: “Jared [Adlam, producer] and I wrote this together, with Jared coming up with the title The Next You're Gone. It's a break-up song that tells someone else's story because neither of us have had a break-up since before we were legal drinking age. It's about that feeling when someone leaves you, but you still hold onto hope that they'll come back, even as you drown your sorrows at the bar.

“My listeners will be able to relate to this song. Sometimes you just need to have a blowout and let your emotions out. I just like to write music that can connect with someone. I want to write music that people like, that speaks to their experiences and emotions.”