Southern alt rocker Willy Cobb has shared his new single Cigarette Smell marking the genre-busting artist’s official debut under his newly minted deal with War Buddha / Warner Records. Cigarette Smell is a potent and endlessly replayable introduction to Cobb’s unpretentious style, evincing his infectious combination of irreverence and specificity. He sticks to crisp, suitably absurd imagery all the way through the power chorus: “I bet you hate the way cigarettes smell/I bet you vape all day cause it’s better for ya health.” Channeling White Stripes in their lo-fi era, the track exemplifies the disarming, immediately personable quality that has made Cobb a live phenomenon in Nashville.
Willy Cobb
Following European and UK tour dates with Foo Fighters axe man Chris Shiflett and The Cadillac Three, the Georgia-reared musician is set to join the latter for a string of North American shows this Spring. He hits the road on 6th April in Jackson, TN before rolling across the Midwest and concluding on 20 April in Columbia, MO.
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 mother favoured Nirvana. Now a rising talent in Nashville, the singer and guitarist still channels his upbringing in his lyrics, which pay homage to small-town misbehaviour and malaise.
Check out the video for Cigarette Smell below:
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.”
Willy Cobb
Cigarette Smell is just the beginning. Stay tuned for a whole lot more from Willy Cobb this year.
Upcoming UK and Ireland tour dates:
MARCH (Supporting Chris Shiflett)
20th – Dublin, The Academy
21st – Belfast, Limelight
23rd – Glasgow, Queen Margaret Union
24th – Manchester, Manchester Academy
25th – Birmingham, O2 Academy
27th – London, Electric Ballroom
MAY (Supporting The Cadillac Three & Stephen Wilson Jr.)
4th – Dublin, The Academy
5th – Belfast, Limelight
8th – Glasgow, O2 Academy
9th – Newcastle Upon Tyne, NX
11th – Manchester, Academy
12th – Leeds, O2 Academy
14th – Nottingham, Rock City
16th – Cardiff, Tramshed
Chris Shiflett At Scala: Stetsons, Sprinters, Capos & Greggs
Share Thing