Travis Denning is ushering in a new era of music with the release of “Sick of Being Sober,” a raw, mid-tempo track that leans into his traditional country sound while highlighting his knack for heart-on-sleeve deliveries.
He served as a co-writer alongside two great friends and songwriters in their own right – Cole Taylor and Drew Parker. It all started with the hook, “that kiss is just like whiskey. I’m sick of being sober,” which led Denning to roll out a storyline that captures the intense urge to call someone you shouldn’t and admit you’re not over them.
“I liked the idea of a guy calling a girl very obviously drunk and saying he was sick of being sober from her. And so it lives in that same universe as ‘After A Few’ and those kind of songs of the, ‘we probably shouldn’t, but I really want to’ love songs,” Denning explained to Country Now.
With that idea in mind, he went on to create a steady groove that hones in on the ache of a man offering a vulnerable plea for a woman to come back to him. Denning relates the addictive connection between the couple to that of someone craving a drink as soon as the effect of alcohol wears off.
“I just want to be hungover/ Laid up hurtin’ in a bed/ Still a little drunk on every one/ Of them didn’t mean it words we said/ The second you’re out my system /You’re the first thing on my mind/ Girl your touch is what I’m missing/ What I’m wantin’ bad tonight/ I need you right here with me/ So baby come on over/ that kiss is just like whiskey and I’m sick of being sober,” he sings on the chorus.
The release of “Sick of Being Sober” also marks a few firsts for the artist, including the fact that it is the first track he has ever released with pedal steel, a signature country element that added a new texture to his evolving sound. It’s also self-produced, a move that reflects the creative freedom Travis Denning is embracing as an independent artist.
“It is a little bit more just kind of traditionally country leaning. It’s the train beat. Some things I’ve really never done from a production standpoint, a little less on the rock side and all that. And I self-produced this song as well. So that’s just been a lot of fun.”
With both this song and his previous release, “Where’d That Boy Go,” Denning took a very hands-on approach in the sense that he “literally did everything,” and it was not an easy process.
He admits, “I think what made that so I’d say difficult, more just kind of really stressful was it was my first time ever doing that and I just so badly wanted to get it under my belt and knock it off the checklist of things I’ve wanted to accomplish. And once it was done and out and all the people I look up to, especially their opinions, that it sounded good, I was like, oh, okay, cool. I guess I maybe know what I’m doing a little bit.”
Before the release of “Where’d That Boy Go,” Denning hadn’t put music out for about 10 months, so he felt it fitting to choose this title to be his first new drop after the hiatus.
“We just wrote that song and I knew immediately it was going to be the first thing I’d put out independently.”
This biggest thing that has come from his new journey as an independent artist, has been a newfound freedom to be able to do and make whatever he wants whenever he wants. While he’s thankful to have never “butted heads” creatively with his old label, he’s now able to have the flexibility to roll out merch, content, music and more as he sees fit.
“I think that’s just really nice to not have to go through the red tape, not have to stand in line, not have to get on the calendar, and all these things that go into being a part of a really big label with a bunch of artists,” he explained. “I mean, now it’s just me, myself and I. So that is something that’s really great.”
The first example of this freedom is the fact that both of his latest releases came out closer together than he’s ever put out music before. And he hopes to continue “shrinking that gap” moving forward.
“If the music is there and is demanding to come out, then I want it out asap,” he revealed.
Aside from focusing on his music, Travis Denning is preparing to welcome his first child with his wife Madison. They are due to welcome a baby girl in July, a midst a busy summer of touring for Denning.
The post Travis Denning Talks ‘Sick Of Being Sober’ And A New Era Of Independence [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.
