Warner Music Nashville singer / songwriter Troy Cartwright is back today with another foot-stomping track from his toolbox of tunes, this time in the form of “Hammer” (LISTEN HERE). The vengeful song, written by Cartwright, Billy Montana and Brandon Hood, takes the narrator through the anger of a messy break up, ultimately leading to the hammer coming down and the lyrics confessing “never should’ve let her go.”
“I remember sending this to Stephanie Davenport [A&R, WMN] the day I got this demo back and telling her, ‘Stop what you’re doing and listen to this song right now,’” said Cartwright. “This song is exactly what I want to sound like as an artist, with echoes of guys who got me here like Eric Church and Brothers Osborne. I love how the name of this song is also what it sounds like, what it feels like. I’m proud of this one and can’t wait for the world to hear it.”
“Hammer” serves as the first new music since his previous batch of releases at the top of the year, including immediate favorite “Round and Round.” MusicRow honored the song as the Disc of the Day, describing the “loose-limbed, head-bobbing rhythm track” as “pretty irresistible,” and stating: “His drawling delivery, a catchy tune and the groovy, repetitive-romance lyric are all on the money.” Cartwright’s growing catalog also includes “Hung Up On You,” “Love Like We Used To,” “My First Beer” and “Cake For Breakfast,” the latter of which Billboard called “an obvious earworm” with “plenty of hand-snapped rhythms, enjoyable banjo features and Cartwright’s memorable vocals.”
“One of Texas’ most exciting country newcomers” (The Boot), Cartwright hit the ground running early on in his career at upwards of 130 tour dates per year, all before he had an agent or a manager. A Berklee-trained musician, he released a handful of EPs and a critically heralded full-length album before locating to Music City, where his creative drive found a new gear. Featured as one of Rolling Stone’s “10 Country Artists You Need To Know,” the Texas native is looking ahead with big things to come.