Mitchell Tenpenny Blames Miscommunication on New Single, ‘Alcohol You Later’

Mitchell Tenpenny is having a successful run with drinking songs. After his debut single, “Drunk Me,” landed at the top of the charts, he’s back again with a new single, “Alcohol You Later.” The song, from his freshman Telling All My Secrets record, was written by Tenpenny, along with Sam Sumser and Michael Lotten, but there’s another person who also had a huge influence on the tune.

“I can’t take all the credit,” Tenpenny told PopCulture.com. “I just heard someone wrong at a bar. He was just telling his buddy goodbye. He was like, ‘Alright, buddy I’ll call you later.’ But he said it really southern and I thought he said, ‘alcohol you later.’ So, I just heard it wrong, but we wrote the song anyway.”

Tenpenny, who alternates between whiskey when he’s at home and tequila if he’s performing, will be sticking to tequila for a while, thanks to his busy touring schedule.

“We just got off the Old Dominion tour and now we’re on our own tour,” Tenpenny revealed. “We’re doing our own stuff, playing all the festivals. Just literally coming to a town near you. We’re playing until the end of December. Till December like 17th, we’ll be on the road. So, catch us somewhere.

Tenpenny, who cites Rice Krispies treats and Fantas as his (non-alcoholic) guilty pleasure, is on the road with his full band, which includes his own sibling.

“My brother is in my band and then our new crew, tour manager, and everybody,” said the singer. “We’re all in it together, so it’s a good thing.”

Tenpenny has had enough success that people are starting to recognize him, which is something he is still getting accustomed to.

“Airports are always crazy,” Tenpenny said. “But it just throws me off guard cause I don’t expect anybody to recognize me or what we’ve done. So, it’s always a very humbling experience, it’s really cool and if you ever see us out there please say hey. I love it. It’s great.”

The Tennessee native is still also getting used to hearing himself on the radio, which he admits still blows him away every time.

“First time I heard myself, where I didn’t know it was going to play, was actually here in Nashville,” Tenpenny previously recalled to PopCulture.com. “I had just landed. I was in my truck, heading back home, and it came on. I just started crying. I called my mom, and I was like, ‘This is so cool.’ It was a special moment, especially being in my hometown. It never gets old. It’s one of those cool things that I’d been dreaming of my whole life.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Mat Hayward