As a primer for Evan Stepp & the Piners, new single “Rails” leans into the band’s more raucous and anthemic side. Led by driving rhythms and buzzing guitars, the track charges forward with spirited abandon, a high-energy country ripper forged in the fires of redemptive rock and roll. Simmering within all that barn-burning energy, however, is a fatalistic tale filled with “desperate hearts” and gaping voids that can never be filled. Indeed, whatever hope that’s mustered by the song’s rousing intensity is soon tempered by Stepp’s plaintive examination of human frailty.

Marrying an Americana ethos to roaring, punk-tinged country rock isn’t new, but Stepp and his bandmates display all the right instincts here. The song’s dynamics are never forced and their earnestness feels like a sincere part of the group’s identity. For what it’s worth, the image of Jason Isbell fronting a young and hungry Gaslight Anthem keeps coming to mind, so make of that what you will. The bottom line is that this is a sharp and poignant tune delivered with exceptional heart and grit.

According to Stepp, “Rails” is one of the more energizing cuts from their new record Can’t Stay for Long, which arrives online tomorrow. “The song is probably our most rollicking country-rocker on the album,” he says. “The song and video are upbeat, loud, and fun, but set against lyrics with themes of anxiety, introversion, and recreational drug use.”

Directed by Ryan Lane, the said video focuses most of its attention on the band performing together on a sound stage. Cast in lavender light and with geometric shapes mutating behind them, the group proceeds to cut loose, allowing their camaraderie and simple, no-frills attitude to speak for themselves.

Watch/listen above.

Can’t Stay for Long marks Evan Stepp & the Piners’ first official release on Numbers Station Records. Pre-orders are available here.

Evan Stepp & the Piners will celebrate the release of Can’t Stay for Long on Sat., Sept. 25 at the EARL alongside Ben Trickey (full band) and Georgie Harris. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $12 in advance or $15 DOS. 21+ to enter. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required. Mask up, y’all.

More Info
Bandcamp: evansteppandthepiners.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @evansteppandthepiners
Instagram: @alldogsgo2evan