"I did what I wanted to do," he exclaims. "This was straight up me. Nobody told me to do this record. We pulled in every genre we were feeling at the time. We spent the last ten years trying to make this sound -- Hell Paso is it."
Never compromising, Koe might just be the last real rebel out there. The gold-selling singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer shakes up the status quo, shatters expectations, and sticks to his guns with a sound steeped in country storytelling, yet spiked with grunge grit. He's unapologetic, undeniable, and unlike anyone else you've ever heard. Without anything to prove and nothing to lose, he continues to kick ass on his own terms. Breaking through with a series of independent releases and tallying over 1.3 BILLION streams to date, he has impressively notched three RIAA Gold-certified singles, including "February 28, 2016," "Something To Talk About," and "Drunk Driving." The latter adorned his 2020 Columbia Records debut, Sellout, which arrived to widespread critical acclaim from American Songwriter, Billboard, The Boot, Rolling Stone, and more. At the same time, he has quietly emerged as a powerhouse performer. He graced Pollstar's "Top Worldwide Tours" back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, moving hundreds of thousands of tickets in the process. In addition to headlining his own Koe Wetzel's Incredible Music Festival, he has packed arenas, amphitheaters, and ballparks across North America, attracting a devout audience.
At the top of 2022, Koe and longtime collaborator Taylor Kimball retreated to Sonic Ranch Recording Studio -- a stone's throw away from the Mexican border just outside of El Paso, Texas. Holed up on a pecan farm for a month, they had nothing to do "except eat wonderful Mexican food and fucking play music."
"It was straight-up bliss, man," he says. "I couldn't go to the bar because there isn't one. I just had to make music!"
Fittingly, he set the stage for Hell Paso with "April Showers." Powered by a galloping riff awash in distortion, it culminates on one of his most chantable choruses. "It gives you a taste of the entire record," he adds. "It was a good song for everyone to jump into."
On its heels, the single "Creeps" crawls on grimy guitar towards a sing-song refrain tailormade for stadium-sized crowds -- or karaoke at your favorite old watering hole.
"It was a feel-good song for me," he says. "I'm big into the zombie apocalypse like The Walking Dead, so I wanted an apocalyptic zombie video for this bitch."
Punctuated by nocturnal Spanish guitar and spaghetti western-style whistling, "Cabo" recounts a weekend of endless debauchery in Mexico with no shortage of gory details. "It's a million percent true," he grins. "I've pissed off a lot of girlfriends and wives, but other than that it's wonderful."
Hank Ealy from Turnpike Troubadours lays down tear-drenched pedal steel on "So Low" where Koe confesses, "I'm so low it's fucking awesome. Makes me glad there ain't a cure for insane."
"It was like nothing we've ever done before, so I was like, 'Hell with it, put it on here'," he says.
"Yellabush Road" brings him back home with vulnerable verses and another vital hook, "And I'm way too blessed to bitch today."
"'Yellabush Road' is my community," he goes on. "It used to be a lot bigger. They had a school, a church, and everything out there. Now, there's not even a road sign for it. This is my hometown song though. You get on the road, you get away from everything you know, and you start to miss it. So, the tune puts me back there."
Then there's "Better Without You." Guitar wails in between a punch beat as he promises, "I'm doing better without you being around."
"I bought a house a year ago, and I've probably slept in my bed for maybe like two months out of the last year," he notes. "I had to unpack everything in my garage. One of those boxes had all of my ex-girlfriend's shit in it. It was raining outside. I was in one of those moods where I was like, 'Fuck this, I'm going to sit on the couch and grab a guitar.' You're over it, but you're not really over it."
The ride reaches its emotional highpoint on "Sad Song." He concludes the record with a fiery final word.
"I just got in the booth and sang," he recalls. "It was all in the moment."
In the end, there's nobody like Koe, and we should be really fucking grateful.
"Put out something authentic, it worked. This record is going to get a lot of flack, but it's going to get a lot of love too. I'm not going to stop. Hopefully, I go home at some point, kiss Grandma, and she'll maybe cook me breakfast."
Kuntry & Wistern
Koe Wetzel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At least that's what you told me
I think I must be goin' blind
Your love's been hard for me to see
You said that everything was fine
Then you pushed me off the edge
I think I've lost my fuckin' mind
Won't you help me find it?
I think I've lost my fuckin'...
Well, your best wasn't the best for me
I did just what you told me, and that shit went dry
I picked up all the pieces from your lies and all your kisses
'Til your kisses started spittin', oh we built high
Don't try to say that I've been crazy
When all I've been is happy
All I've been is happy
I won't give up easy, you should know after all
You're a bitch, and I hate you
I think
I think I've lost my fuckin' mind
At least that's what you told me
I think I might be goin' blind
Your love's been hard for me to see
You said that everything was fine
Then you pushed me to the edge
I think I've lost my fuckin' mind
Won't you help me find it?
Won't you help me find it?
I've lost my fuckin'...
Ba-la-la-la-da-da
La-la-la-la-lay
La-la-la-la-lay
La-la-la-la-ay
Won't you help me find it?
I think I've lost my fuckin' mind
That's what you told me
I think I must be goin' blind
Your love's been hard for me to see
You said that everything was fine
Then you pushed me to the edge
I think I've lost my fuckin' mind
Won't you help me find it?
Won't you help me find it?
Won't you help me find it?
In Koe Wetzel’s song “Kuntry & Wistern,” the lyrics are a reflection on a love gone wrong. The singer, who is presumably Koe himself, is struggling to make sense of a situation in which he was deceived by the person he loved. He hints at his own mental anguish, suggesting that he may have “lost his mind.” The subsequent lines reveal the root of this turmoil - being pushed to the edge by this person who had convinced him that everything was fine. Despite all this, there is still a sense of hopefulness in the chorus as he asks for assistance in finding his sanity.
The second verse gives the listener more insight into the specifics of what went wrong. The singer followed this person’s lead, but it ended in disaster. He had to pick up the pieces from the person’s “lies and all [their] kisses” until they started “spittin’,” and they built something up high together. However, despite the person’s negative impact on his life, the singer remains steadfast in his determination to keep moving forward, even if it means leaving this person behind.
Overall, the song speaks to themes of love, loss, and perseverance. While it’s clear that the relationship depicted in the song did not end on the best terms, there is a sense of hopefulness in the singer’s resolve to move on and find peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I think I've lost my fuckin' mind
The singer feels mentally unstable, as someone has told them they are losing their mind.
At least that's what you told me
The singer is uncertain if their perspective on their mental state is accurate and may be taking the word of another person.
I think I must be goin' blind
The singer feels emotionally blinded to their partner's love.
Your love's been hard for me to see
The artist is having trouble understanding their partner's love for them.
You said that everything was fine
The artist's partner has misled them about the state of their relationship.
Then you pushed me off the edge
The singer feels that their partner caused them to break down emotionally.
Won't you help me find it?
The singer is asking for assistance in finding their way back to emotional stability.
Well, your best wasn't the best for me
The artist's partner's efforts were insufficient, causing problems in the relationship.
I did just what you told me, and that shit went dry
The artist followed their partner's lead, but the relationship still fell apart.
I picked up all the pieces from your lies and all your kisses
The artist has tried to fix the relationship despite their partner's lies and other issues.
'Til your kisses started spittin', oh we built high
The couple's intimacy hid their relationship problems, but they eventually became too much to ignore.
Don't try to say that I've been crazy
The artist rejects the idea that they are the problem in the relationship.
When all I've been is happy
The singer insists that they have been content in the relationship.
I won't give up easy, you should know after all
The singer is determined to work through their relationship problems.
You're a bitch, and I hate you
The singer has become resentful of their partner's behavior.
Ba-la-la-la-da-da
Nonsensical lyric
La-la-la-la-lay
Nonsensical lyric
La-la-la-la-lay
Nonsensical lyric
La-la-la-la-ay
Nonsensical lyric
Won't you help me find it?
The artist is asking for help again.
Writer(s): Koe Wetzel, Taylor Kimball
Contributed by Olivia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brandi
on Ragweed
Both the singer and the girl he loves miss Ragweed, a broken up a Red Dirt Country Band. They share this feeling.
The girl's mother has a low opinion of the singer as a person.
Not only the mother, but also the girl's second step-father does not like the singer either.
The girl has a quirky personality and is always silly and playful.
Despite her quirks and her mother's disapproval, the girl and the singer bond over their shared love for Ragweed.
The singer expresses a deep affection towards the girl and wants her to know how much she means to him.
The singer is attracted to the girl's eyes and smile, as well as her suggestive and vulgar language.
The singer believes his friends will not like the girl, but he himself finds it difficult not to love her.
The girl suggests that Oklahoma is better than where they are, but the singer is not interested in discussing it.
The singer and the girl have spent a lot of time drinking and doing drugs together, and the singer is surprised he has fallen in love with her.
The girl's step-father, who is unpleasant, also does not approve of the singer.
Another reiteration of the fact that the girl's step-father is unpleasant and does not like the singer.
Once again, the shared love for Ragweed remains a bonding point between the girl and the singer, despite their other differences and the disapproval of the girl's family members.