Canada’s Country

Though Nashville remains the cradle of country, Canada has a pretty long history with it too, taking the styles and sounds of its Southern neighbors and applying its own rustic, regional spin. Honky-tonk, outlaw ballads, beat-driven pop crossovers—these songs represent a cross-section of Canada’s best modern country. This week, Dallas Alexander makes his hard feelings known on the new single “7 Words,” which the Canadian singer-songwriter calls “a fiery breakup anthem.” Alexander means that “fiery” part literally, as the tune follows a jilted lover burning his ex-flame’s possessions in a whiskey-soaked pile. As for those titular seven words, Alexander delivers the kicker with a sultry snarl: “I don’t need this shit no more.” “The song was inspired by the Jamey Johnson song ‘Mowin’ Down the Roses,’” Alexander tells Apple Music. “I was walking down the street in Nashville listening to it when I had the idea. I wrote it down and later brought it to a co-write with Danielle Bourjeaurd and Jeff Hyde.” Listen to it now and add Canada’s Country to your library to stay up on the songs shaping the future of country music.