Wow. Well isn’t that depressing? Even a semi-bro-turned-heartbreak-balladeer couldn’t get a song of substance up the charts. ‘Withdrawals’ was only released at the beginning of June as the second single from Tyler Farr’s sophomore album ‘Suffer In Peace’, but it seems his record label have already completely abandoned it in favor of ‘Better In Boots’. ‘Withdrawals’, in my own opinion, was a great, albeit sonically heavy, track that really dug in deep emotionally and saw Tyler unleashing his full vocal energy. The video, too, was vastly unlike that of his previous material and that of his peers, and although ‘Suffer In Peace’ was an album of two halves, it really seemed like his music was evolving into something more meaningful. This was by far the darkest and most interesting track one of the bros and semi-bros had released.
But despite the fact the song seemed to be doing okay (it had only been charting for a couple of weeks before it was pulled), I guess adds were slow to pick up and it was pulled before it even had a chance to crack the top 60. It seems such a shame given that I think with the right support and placement the song could have done okay, and would have been a major win for those wishing for more substance on country radio, but I guess labels aren’t taking any chances anymore and were perhaps hesitant to release ‘Withdrawals’ in the first place.
‘Better In Boots’, in comparison, is a heady disappointment. Built from a drum loop with a summery guitar riff and a jangly, rhythmic vibe designed to create a “groove”, it doesn’t sound exactly like every other song on the radio, but I wouldn’t call it overly different. It’s vaguely catchy but not in a particularly instant way, and the lyrics follow a mindless narrative of having sex out in the country. It’s perhaps not as overt as some of its contemporaries, but the first two lines “Yeah, you know I love you in a tight dress, but you’re – oh my God – slippin’ out of it” make it pretty clear how the writers want listeners to perceive the underlying setting. Sure, Tyler says she looks amazing anyway, but even better in boots (opportunities for branding and promotion here), but let’s be honest with ourselves: this is just another empty track for the frat boy crowd and having seen what Tyler is capable of I’m severely disappointed.
There’s not much else to say here other than what a waste of a damn good song.
https://www.the-newshub.com/music/tyler-farr-better-in-boots-single-review