Riding a wave of critical acclaim, UK Southern-rock four-piece Wood Burnt Red are set to make a major statement with the release of their highly anticipated debut album ‘Hold On Tight‘ released Friday September 4th. Bursting with country soul, southern rock fire, and the band’s unmistakable grit, the album arrives alongside their brilliant brand-new single ‘Best Things‘ and an official music video that captures the song’s sharp wit and infectious energy.
Described as a Southern fried rock and roll stomper with a country edge, the new single takes a tongue-in-cheek swipe at modern-day values, ownership, image, and lifestyle pressure. The single is available on all streaming platforms – here.
The album features eleven tracks written by the band and produced by Tyler Spicer. The CD and vinyl edition of the album is available here. The digital edition of the album is available here.
“‘Best Things‘ is a feel-good song about being completely skint,” says Wood Burnt Red’s lead singer and guitarist, Tom Franklin. “You’ve got a nice home you don’t own, a car you haven’t paid for, a mortgage you can barely afford and a pension that thinks you’re worthless, but from the outside, you’re absolutely smashing it.”
“It’s our tongue-in-cheek take on keeping up with the Joneses and the ridiculous pressure to have everything, even when you can’t really afford any of it. The reality is everything costs more than it used to, and it feels harder than ever to keep up. They say the best things in life are free… we’re still trying to work out which things they meant.”
“We work ourselves into the ground to buy things we can’t afford, to maintain a lifestyle we’re told we should want. ‘Best Things‘ pokes fun at that — it’s not meant to preach; it’s meant to make you laugh, sing along and maybe feel slightly better when you check your bank balance.”
“We’re constantly told the best things in life are free, but apparently nobody told the mortgage company. ‘Best Things‘ is about having everything you’re supposed to want — the house, the car, the lifestyle — except technically none of it belongs to you.”
Track List:
- Best Things (3:11)
- Fire Me Up (3:30)
- Count My Blessings (4:24)
- Bartender (3:09)
- Drifting (3:17)
- One Chance (3:07)
- Every Road (3:13)
- Times A Healer (2:49)
- Simple Place (3:52)
- To The Moon (3:33)
- Where You Are Now (3:39)
Production Credits:
Writers: Wood Burnt Red & Tyler Spicer
Producer: Tyler Spicer
Mixed By: Todd Peterson
Mastered By: Sam Moses
Album Track By Track
1. Best Things
The album opens with a knowing wink and a wry smile. “Best Things” is a sharp, relatable take on the modern-day paradox of materialism — the pressure to keep up appearances in a world that increasingly equates happiness with possessions we cannot truly afford. With lyrics that cut straight to the bone — “I got a nice home that I don’t own. And a car on the drive that’s not paid for” — the song turns financial reality into an anthem that anyone living on the edge of their means will recognise instantly.
2. Fire Me Up
The album’s lead single and a statement of intent. A full-throttle southern rock anthem co-written with producer Tyler Spicer, “Fire Me Up” arrived almost fully formed — the melody instant, the lyrics natural, the result undeniable. With a chorus that burns with conviction and a message aimed squarely at anyone who’s ever been told their dreams aren’t worth chasing, this is Wood Burnt Red at their most electrifying. “Fire me up and watch me go. Foot to the floor, I’ll keep running on down the road. You can take that to the bank. I’ve got plenty more left in the tank.”
3. Count My Blessings
One of the album’s most unflinching tracks. “Count My Blessings” goes straight to the heart of addiction — not the habit itself, but the brutal reality of what comes after. The confusion of getting clean and still not feeling whole. The urges that don’t just disappear. The question that haunts so many in recovery: why don’t I feel fixed? Raw, honest, and utterly without judgement, it’s a song that understands addiction doesn’t end — you just find a better way to carry it.
4. Bartender
Already a fan favourite, “Bartender” spent eighteen months on Apple Music’s prestigious Today’s Country playlist and racked up over 600,000 streams — and it’s not hard to hear why. A raw, aching plea for relief, it captures that specific kind of hurt that only a barstool and a patient bartender can meet: “I’m in need of something stronger to help me ease the pain. Something that lasts a little longer and helps the memories fade away.”
Timeless, universal, and catchy as hell.
5. Drifting
The most personal song lead singer Tom Franklin has ever written — and perhaps the hardest. “Drifting” explores depression from the perspective of someone who had never truly experienced or understood it until it arrived without warning and carried him to places he never expected to go. Written from the darkest corners of that journey, it is a song for anyone who has ever felt completely alone inside their own head. Difficult to write and difficult to perform, it was impossible to leave off the record — because if it reaches even one person and helps them feel less alone, then every difficult second was worth it.
6. One Chance
Perhaps the most personal song on the album. Tom Franklin first wrote the bones of this chorus back in 2014 — intended as a surprise first dance for himself and his wife Liz, but left unfinished, too close to complete. Years later, it became this: a tender, powerful song about two people shaped by difficult pasts learning to trust again. “One Chance” isn’t just a love song — it’s a promise. That what came before doesn’t have to define what comes next, and that some people are worth breaking down every wall for.
7. Every Road
Some people get under your skin and never leave. “Every Road” captures that feeling with pinpoint precision — the one you love becomes an addiction you can’t shake, and no matter how far you run or how hard you try to clear your head, every road leads straight back to them. Aching guitars and an irresistible melody make this one of the most quietly powerful tracks on the album.
8. Time’s A Healer
The most satisfying kind of revenge — the kind where you don’t have to lift a finger. “Time’s A Healer” is Wood Burnt Red at their most knowing; a song about watching karma do its work on someone who made all the wrong choices and having the best seat in the house when it does. Equal parts cathartic and celebratory, it’s the track that’ll have crowds grinning from ear to ear.
9. Simple Place
One of the boldest songs in the Wood Burnt Red catalogue. “Simple Place” is a stark and unflinching reminder that as a society, we’re losing sight of what really matters — humans helping one another, loving thy neighbour. With lyrics that don’t flinch from the darkness around us, it serves as a gentle but urgent wake-up call that love, community, and connection are still within reach. Country music is all about truth — and Wood Burnt Red proves that hasn’t been lost.
10. To The Moon
A shot of pure adrenaline. “To The Moon” is the album’s rallying cry — a reminder that your moment is yours for the taking if you’re bold enough to reach out and grab it. Euphoric, uplifting, and impossible to sit still to, it’s the kind of song that makes you feel like anything is possible. Take the bull by the horns. The ride starts now.
11. Where You Are Now
The album closes on something quietly devastating. Written after Tom watched a close friendship be used, manipulated, and ultimately discarded at the worst possible moment, “Where You Are Now” is a song about the people who pass through our lives — and the mark they leave whether they meant to or not. Each member of the band hears something different in it: betrayal, self-discovery, the natural drift of relationships over time. That’s what makes it the perfect closer. It means something different to everyone who hears it, but it hits everyone the same way.
Biography:
Wood Burnt Red are a UK-based four-piece making waves with an electrifying blend of southern rock grit and country soul. Lifelong friends turned bandmates, they bring the spirit of brotherhood to songs rooted in raw, honest stories of love, loss, resilience, and the defining moments that shape us.
Fusing rock swagger with country storytelling, their sound is bold and unmistakable: searing guitar riffs, powerful harmonies, and lyrics that cut straight to the core. Their on-stage chemistry is undeniable, forged through decades of friendship and shared history, creating performances that feel as authentic as they are explosive.
With more than half a million Apple Music streams and a coveted spot on Apple’s “Today’s Country” playlist, Wood Burnt Red is building serious momentum. With their debut album Hold On Tight set for release in September 2026, they are ready to deliver everything from whiskey-soaked ballads to foot-stomping anthems made for roaring crowds — songs that resonate as deeply as they energise and uplift your spirits.
Praised by Planet Rock’s Elles Bailey as “the UK’s answer to The Brothers Osborne,” Wood Burnt Red are carving out a distinctive place in the Southern Rock and Modern Country Rock music scene — and they are only just getting started.
Line-up:
Tom Franklin – Lead Vocals & Guitar
Rob Graney – Lead Guitar
Russ Staples – Bass Guitar
Ed Baldwin – Drums
Web Links:
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