The song offers another preview into his forthcoming new project.
Riley Green is speaking his mind and hoping to take back his freedom on his new release, “Rather Be,” out now via Harbor Records.
Written by Dan Isbell and Randy Montana and produced by Dann Huff, the hilarious track illustrates all the reasons why one might have the desire to get out of a relationship with someone who they view as an overbearing partner. Through a mid-tempo tune and clever wordplay, listeners get to know a character in desperate need of some time apart from his partner, as he has a lot of things he’d prefer to be doing than having to listen to their complaints and criticisms.
Green embraces this character in a way that makes listeners truly believe he’s ready to move on and have a bit more fun in his life. His gritty vocals are as charming as always amid the steady stream of guitar riffs and soothing drum beats that make for a captivating all-around sound.
On the first verse, Green sings, “I’d rather be seven beers deep with a Coleman cooler propping up my feet/ My ass in a lawn chair floating on the breeze in a sun tracker/ I’d rather be tucked in a pit blind somewhere on the Mississippi-Louisiana state line/ Waitin’ on them greenheads to do a fly-by/ Lip full of tobacco.”
“When I hear you bitch at me/ It makes me think of all the/ Places I’d rather be,” he continues onto the chorus.
While reflecting on the lighthearted message of the song, Green shared, “Life’s too short to be caught up in a bad relationship and we had fun coming up with some lines about anywhere else to be but in that moment.”
The Alabama-born country star added that “Rather Be,” feels like a “fun way” to preview what he has coming later this year, further hinting that his next album is on the way. He recently teased the yet-to-be-announced new project during an interview with Cigar & Spirits. This discussion led him to reveal that he has already been in the studio and cutting new tracks for the collection that is looking to drop this fall.
Green has yet to reveal any other details regarding the project, including the official release date and whether or not we can expect any collaborations to appear, but he did say that fans can expect to hear a few more sneak peeks in the coming weeks and months.
“We’ll probably release some of those songs a little early to give fans a taste of the album before it comes out,” he added.
This project will follow the 2023 release of his Ain’t My Last Rodeo album, which also inspired the name of his headlining Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tour that kicked off at the start of 2024.
In addition to burning down stages during his headlining run, Green has also been spending his summer touring alongside artists such as Morgan Wallen and went overseas in July to perform for a massive crowd at the U.K.’s biggest country concert ever.
For the remainder of summer and into the fall months, fans can find Riley Green on stage at festivals such as Watershed, Boots in the Park, Field & Stream, Goldensky and more.
