Southern Alt Rocker Willy Cobb Drops New Single ‘Parking Lot Thoughts’

by | Feb 28, 2025

Southern alt rocker Willy Cobb returns with a new single entitled Parking Lot Thoughts out now via War Buddha / Warner Records. About the track, he comments, “The song is about me feeling down working as a door guy at a music venue, seeing all these acts that don’t appreciate what they’re doing – touring and playing – and treating venue people like shit.”

Willy Cobb

Willy Cobb (Alex Berger)
Willy Cobb (Alex Berger)

Once again, the maverick artist channels a classic loud-soft grunge dynamic through an outlaw country lens. Right out of the gate, he sets the scene through a woozy acoustic guitar, “I sweep the parking lots alone at night. I wonder what I’ll find this time.” Unable to contain a flurry of emotion on the hook, distortion kicks into overdrive, and Willy screams: “I just want to be on stage and not give a fuck, yeah…parking lot thoughts get me crazy.”

He notably capped off 2024 with Boy Toy and his Unplugged EP. Earning critical acclaim, House of Solo attested, “Cobb is fast becoming a force in the Nashville scene, proving that boundaries—whether in genre or attitude—are meant to be pushed.” Jace Media Music urged “Keep an eye on Willy Cobb—he’s just getting started,” and Taped Magazine also profiled him. Not to mention, he opened up for everyone from Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters to The Cadillac Three, shining on stage.

Willy Cobb @ Tramshed, Cardiff

Willy Cobb @ Tramshed, Cardiff (Sam Holt)
Willy Cobb @ Tramshed, Cardiff (Sam Holt)

Meanwhile, Cigarette Smell has also garnered widespread critical acclaim. Rolling Stone touted it among “All the Songs You Need to Know This Week.” Plus, NOTION sat down with him for an in-depth interview and professed, “the single sees Willy Cobb at his best.”

Alternative rock singer-songwriter Willy Cobb’s new music, produced and co-written with country singer Brent Cobb and The Cadillac Three leader Jaren Johnston, serves as a dynamic crash course in his blend of down-home pride and punk attitude. As a kid riding in his family’s truck, his dad would throw on Hank Williams, while his mom favored Nirvana. Now a rising talent in Nashville, the singer and guitarist still channels his upbringing in his lyrics, which pay homage to small-town misbehavior and malaise.

Willy Cobb @ Tramshed, Cardiff

Willy Cobb @ Tramshed, Cardiff (Sam Holt)
Willy Cobb @ Tramshed, Cardiff (Sam Holt)

Not caring what people think is a crucial aspect of Cobb’s view of himself and his music. While he credits other like-minded Southern artists who flout easy genre labels, Cobb considers himself to be on a unique mission to connect with fans who might feel like outsiders in their communities. “There’s a whole minority of kids in the South that feel like me—that were weird and alternative in high school,” Cobb explains. “I want them to see that you don’t have to be country to be from Georgia.”

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