Cole Swindell’s newly-debuted chapter finally arrived on Friday (June 27) after more than two years in the making.

The country star said as he delivered Spanish Moss that “the wait is over but I hope it was worth it.. so proud of this project and thankful for everyone that I got to work with throughout the process.” His wife, Courtney Little Swindell, gushed in an Instagram comment that she’s “SO PROUD” of her husband. She added on her Instagram story that “Cole’s new album is officially out!!! He’s worked so hard on this and every single song is an absolute SMASH!!! Can’t wait for y’all to jam to this as much as I have been! So happy and proud of you [Cole Swindell].” The Swindells celebrated their first wedding anniversary this month. They tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Sonoma County, California, spent their honeymoon in Turks and Caicos, and hosted a reception with family and friends when they returned home to Nashville, Tennessee. Now, they’re getting ready to welcome Baby No. 1.

Throughout that journey, Swindell has been working on Spanish Moss.

“Spanish Moss has been a work in progress for over 2 years now,” the Georgia-born artist said in a statement when he announced details about his album for the first time earlier this year. “I knew it would be a tough task following up Stereotype and the success we had from that album, but sometimes a challenge can be motivating and exactly what’s needed to grow. For me, the album making process has always had a common theme ... best song wins. Although it’s never that simple.

“Life has changed a lot for me in the best way since the last project and I wanted to be able write and sing about those blessings while also not forgetting where I came from and the pain from the past,” he continued. “One of the beautiful things about music is even though you may not be currently going through something at this very moment, more than likely someone out there IS. I think this album is balanced that way and has a little bit of everything from songs like: ‘Kill A Prayer,’ ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘Forever to Me’ to ‘Dale Jr.,’ ‘Country Boy Can’t Survive,’ and ‘Heads Up Heaven.’

“The day we wrote the song ‘Spanish Moss’ I could tell we had something special and different for me, and I even thought to myself then ‘Spanish Moss could be such a cool album title’ considering it holds a special place in my heart and reminds me of where my Dad lived when I was growing up,” Swindell said. “From working with songwriters and producers I had never worked with to going back to the drawing board more times than I care to mention, I think having that patience and taking those chances really made this project what it was always meant to be and unlike anything I’ve ever done. I can’t wait for everyone to hear the entire album from top to bottom and I truly hope they can find a little of themselves and their own stories somewhere along the way in Spanish Moss.”

Kill A Prayer Cole Taylor, Josh Thompson, Jesse Frasure, Produced by: Jesse Frasure
Dirty Dancing Beau Bailey, Ned Cameron, Hunter Phelps, Produced by: Jordan Schmidt
Dale, Jr. Cole Swindell, Greylan James, Matt Alderman, Produced by: Will Bundy
Spanish Moss Cole Swindell, Devin Dawson, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds, Produced by: Devin Dawson, Jacob Durrett, Jordan Reynolds
We Can Always Move On Kyle Fishman, Thomas Archer, Michael Tyler, Produced by: Kyle Fishman, Jimmy Robbins
Georgia (Ain’t On Her Mind) Cole Swindell, John Byron, Ben Johnson, Produced by: Zach Crowell
Lost Heart Rodney Clawson, Zach Kale, Tawgs Salter, Nolen Sipe, Produced by: Zach Crowell
Bottom Of It Cole Swindell, Jonathon Singleton, Chase McGill, Ben Simonetti, Produced by: Will Bundy
Left To Get Right Greylan James, Thomas Archer, Rocky Block, Produced by: Will Bundy
Longneck List Lindsay Rimes, Jameson Rodgers, Matt Rogers, Produced by: Will Bundy
Country Boy Can’t Survive Cole Swindell, Josh Osborne, Travis Wood, Jared Keim, Produced by: Will Bundy
Happy Hour Sad Jimmy Robbins, Micah Carpenter, Travis Wood, Lydia Vaughan, Produced by: Jimmy Robbins
Wild Cole Swindell, Matt Dragstrem, Matt Rogers, Jordan Minton, Produced by: Matt Dragstrem
One Day Chase McGill, Ernest K. Smith, Jordan Schmidt, Produced by: Zach Crowell
Forever To Me Cole Swindell, Greylan James, Rocky Block, Produced by: Jordan Schmidt, Greylan James
Someone Worth Missing Ben Stennis, Michael Tyler, Brad Rempel, Produced by: Jordan Schmidt
First Second Greylan James, Josh Osborne, David Garcia, Rocky Block, Produced by: Zach Crowell
’99 Problems Devin Dawson, Seth Ennis, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds, Produced by: Devin Dawson, Jordan Schmidt
It Don’t Hurt Anymore Blake Bollinger, Trea Landon, Craig Campbell, Produced by: Zach Crowell
Take Me Down Cole Swindell, Jessie Jo Dillon, Chris Tompkins, David Garcia, Produced by: Matt Dragstrem
Heads Up Heaven Cole Swindell, Chase McGill, Bobby Pinson, Produced by: Zach Crowell

Swindell will kick off his headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour” on September 4 in Toledo, Ohio, with stops in Georgia, Colorado and other destinations. The tour wraps up on October 26 in St. Augustine, Florida. Swindell is bringing special guests Priscilla Block, Logan Crosby and Greylan James with him. Spanish Moss is the country artists’s latest full studio record to release since Stereotype (2022) and its deluxe edition, Stereotype Broken (2023). He released his self-titled debut in 2014, You Should Be Here (2016) and All of It (2018). Find Swindell’s new album on iHeartRadio here.

Anne Hudson