There’s only one correct protocol when Colby Acuff releases new music: Drop what you’re doing and it give it a listen.
Coming off of a massive 2023 that saw the release of his breakthrough 10-track record Western White Pines, as well as Western White Pines Deluxe that tacked on six more impressive songs to the project, Acuff is already picking back up right where he left off with a brand new hard hitting single.
Titled “Scared of the Dark,” the Idaho native and Nashville resident’s latest single addresses the hot button topic of mental health and the complicated nature in which mental struggles and negative thoughts can inexplicably become pervasive and all consuming of one’s psyche, rendering even the strongest individual hopeless at times. A cause close to his own heart, Acuff delicately and succinctly displays the inner struggle that so many people deal with on a daily basis through deftly allegorical lyricism while ultimately offering an optimistic outlook on the matter in the song’s chorus and final verse.
The first single off of his yet to be formally announced fifth record, that could presumably be released later this year, Acuff provided some brief context behind the new tune in a recent post on X.
“Friday begins the release of my 5th project. The first single ‘Scared of the Dark’ is a song I wrote to help people who have been affected by mental health. I personally have lost too many friends to suicide and have definitely had my days of dealing with anxiety.
I just wanted to make a project that had the ability to truly make a difference. I hope that you see it that way as well. I hope that when you listen to ‘Scared of the Dark’ you find some light.”
And as seems to be the case with each new song he releases, this is some of Acuff’s best work yet. Give “Scared of the Dark” a listen for yourself here:
So let me shield you from the rain
I’m not even you, and yet we look the same
I know this place, yes, I know where you are
And it made me scared of the dark
I am here to help
I’m just something that you need
I’m a voice of forgiveness
Here to shine when days are bleak
Times they are a changing
Today begins an age
Tomorrow will be better than all your yesterdays…
It’s great news to hear that Acuff’s next project is on it’s way, and I’m sure more details will be announced here in the near future. If you like what you heard with “Scared of the Dark,” I highly recommend checking out (or revisiting) Acuff’s latest Western White Pines project in the meantime.
Here are a few of my personal favorites:
“Cherokee Rose”
“Welcome to Tom’s”
“Western White Pines”
Colby Acuff and his band put on one of the best live shows in the business, so make sure to check out his upcoming tour schedule as well. These guys are true road dogs, so it is highly likely they’ll be playing a show near you soon.
