SONG PREMIERE: Will Payne Harrison Brings Cajun Gusto To Nashville On Swampy “Tioga Titan”

Photo by Anna Rogers

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Nashville got a big splay of the bayou upon its over Sturgilled scene of wailers. Yet for every Tyler Childers, there could be the next Allen Toussaint, so why not add some most cajun to the BBQ in music city? Will Payne Harrison offers his own ingredient of down-home rock that smolders with a Chris Stapleton authenticity.

With two albums and an EP under his belt since relocating to Nashville several years ago, 2022 sees Will Payne Harrison set to release Tioga Titan, his most cohesive and emotionally-mature album to date. His first self-produced effort, this new record leans fully into the sounds and songwriting flourishes that earned the Music City its moniker — rife with fiddle, pedal steel, two-beat bass and shuffled drum beats, airtight vocal harmonies, and a healthy dose of love, loss, and other timeless themes of the country music tradition.

While the native Louisianian has established himself as a fixture of the East Nashville scene these days, Harrison still wears his Cajun heritage proudly on his sleeve, as the album takes its name from the small town where he was born and raised.

Glide is premiering the title track “Tioga Titan,” (below)- written from a first-person perspective — poking fun at the irony of being a big fish in a small pond while still evoking a palpable sense of pride for his roots and Main Street USA in general. “Mommas don’t let your sons end up like me,” he croons sardonically (while also shamelessly nodding to a certain famous country song). “Trapped in some toxic masculinity / Pray that they find a little bit of enlightening / So they don’t end up like the Tioga Titan.”

“I wrote this one during the holidays at my parents’ house in Tioga, Louisiana. I was laughing at the fact that so many people I graduated with stayed in this small town of under 1000 people and run around town like they’re king of New York. It’s a very tongue-in-cheek look at small-town life. Production-wise, I wanted it to have a swamp pop country sound. Very Louisiana, very much what I grew up with. I played all the guitar, bass, and keys on the track to lend my Louisiana licks. Layla Frankel lended her vocals to belt out in the last chorus,” adds Harrison.

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