Last year, the great country star Ashley McBryde got together with a bunch of her country-industry peers on Lindeville, a concept album about the lives of people in a fictional small town. It was one of my favorite records of the year, and it really showed what McBryde is capable of. Next month, she’ll follow that one with the new solo LP The Devil I Know. We’ve already posted the title track, “Light On In The Kitchen,” and “Learned To Lie,” and now McBryde has dropped another song.

Ashely McBryde first won national attention with her 2017 single “A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega,” a modern country classic of sorts. On her new song “Cool Little Bars,” McBryde returns to the subject of small, out-of-the-way drinking establishments, which she clearly loves. Her eye for detail remains sharp: “I pray time just forgets to turn places like this into drive-thrus and condos/ Lord knows we need those little holes in the wall for lost souls and old stray dogs.” In a press release, McBryde says:

As y’all know, I have a huge appreciation for bars that have stood the test of time and have a lot of character. I played them for many, many years, and I’m proud of the education I gained, and I’m proud to be able to give such bars credit for my entertainment style.

In a time when so many of our staple establishments are being torn down to make room for far less charming, sterile, and predictable gathering spaces, I thought we’d better celebrate the ones we have left and the ones we’ve yet to warm a seat in. With the help of Trick Savage and Lainey Wilson, I think we said it pretty good. So, thank you for dart boards, sticky table tops, bathrooms with broken stall doors and bartenders that can mix a drink while whoopin’ an ass. We see you and we need you. God bless cool little bars.

Listen to “Cool Little Bars” below.

The Devil I Know is out 9/8 on Warner Music Nashville.