Play It Loud: Texas Rocker Austin Meade Joins Mitchell Ferguson on Raucous 'Hurt So Bad' Remix

Texas rocker Austin Meade recently joined Mitchell Ferguson to record a raucous remix of Ferguson's track "Hurt So Bad," and the tune is now streaming everywhere. The original version of the song — which you should definitely check out as well — is reminiscent of '90s alt-rock like the Gin Blossoms or Better Than Ezra. The new version features an all-new verse by Meade, which adds a fun layer to the alt-rock and demands to be played LOUD! Check it out below!

Ferguson is probably most recognizable from his viral "Gen Z praise and worship" parody project Trillsong. With songs like "Bussin'" and "Devil Ain't Got No Rizz," the catchy tracks pay tribute to the music of Hillsong while also poking fun at the generational divide so evident in linguistics, and they're brilliantly executed. No cap. Don't be mistaken, however. Ferguson is not a parody artist, as clear by Whole Lotta Sauce, a project he released in September. The album features seven tracks that blend alt-rock, pop, and R&B into something undefinable by genre affiliations.

Originally from a small town outside San Antonia, Meade is a Texas-born country rocker who has been recording for the past decade. His Spotify biography details his early interest in classic rock/metal — Judas Priest and Whitesnake — because of his father, later going on to develop a love for emo bands like Paramore and Fall Out Boy as a teenager. At the same time, Meade also learned to appreciate singer-songwriters such as John Mayer. 

"Yet, thanks to plainspoken but deep heartland songwriters like Tom Petty, and cutting his teeth touring in the Texas and Oklahoma Red Dirt scene, Meade's music overflows with wide-open soulfulness," the bio adds. "He was a drummer for years, even teaching to pay the bills, but Meade found his true voice when he began playing guitar as a teen in his pastor-father's church. Those experiences lend both a gravitas and rebelliousness to Meade's songs and self."

Meade has released three albums to date, with the most recent being Abstract Art Of An Unstable Mind, in 2022. The year prior, he released a darker southern alt-rock album, Black Sheep, which featured the hit song "Happier Alone." Meade would go on to collaborate with fellow Texan Koe Wetzel on a remix of "Happier Alone," which currently sits at over 30 million streams on Spotify.