The wait is over for new music from Tim McGraw, with the country superstar releasing two brand-new songs on Thursday, Oct. 4 — new single “Neon Church” and bonus song “Thought About You.”
Combining an organ with a sizzling bass line, “Neon Church” posits a honky tonk as a church of sorts, where McGraw heads to do some worship of a different sort in an effort to get over a breakup.
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The track finds the singer comparing a bartender to a preacher and a whiskey to holy water, singing, “I need a neon church / with a jukebox choir / full of honkytonk angels with their wings on fire.”
McGraw slips effortlessly into character in the song, using the lyrics to perfectly portray a heartbroken man who desperately needs a drink, though fans know McGraw has been sober for years.
“Thought About You” also references a past love, with the Louisiana native naming various sights that cause him to think about his ex.
“I thought about songs that make us feel better / I thought about faith that ties it all together,” McGraw sings. “I thought about now, I thought about forever.”
The 51-year-old prepared to release his new music by wiping his social media accounts clean last week and uploading a tweet that read, “I need Jesus or I need whiskey.”
On Thursday, the line was revealed to be the opening lyric from “Neon Church,” with the rest of the line reading, “Whatever works best to get me through / Gettin’ over you.”
The cover art for the song shows McGraw looking into the window of a bar on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, the words “Neon Church” blazing on the window.
Tomorrow @ 5PM EST pic.twitter.com/yX4i1xEo17
— Tim McGraw (@TheTimMcGraw) October 3, 2018
McGraw announced his new music to fans with a totally unique marketing campaign, inviting fans to text him earlier in the week via a message posted on social media.
Those who followed the directive were invited to sign up for official texts from McGraw and his team, with fans receiving news of the new songs, the cover art for the single and a photo from the song’s music video shoot.
McGraw also recorded multiple videos that were sent to fans, updating them on new music and other upcoming announcements.
In 2017, McGraw teamed with wife Faith Hill for the duet album The Rest of Our Life, and his last solo release was 2015’s Damn Country Music, which spawned the singles “Top of the World,” “Humble and Kind” and “How I’ll Always Be.”
Photo Credit: Twitter / @TheTimMcGraw