As once noticed Oscar Wilde: “A man can be happy with any woman if he is not in love with her. And with his first love, he remains enchanted forever.” This phrase seems written for the new single Blake Smeltz’s “Nicotine Daydream,” where first love is presented as an addiction tender, destructive, unforgettable. The single is about youth smelling of gasoline, freedom, and a freshly lit cigarette. Born in quiet Evington, Virginia, Blake Smeltz is a natural storyteller, having absorbed the spirit of the American heartland. His songs are filled with the scent of the forest, the feeling of the road, and a childlike sincere faith in the power of truth. Inspired by nature, motorcycles, and his faith, he turns melody into a confession without any falseness. Blake’s path into music began with “Demos From the 434” – the debut project of 2023, from which everything started to spin. In his work, the clarity of Zac Bryan’s lyrics and the tenderness of Luke Combs’ style mix whimsically, and at the core of all this pulses a powerful voice and the sincere manner of storytelling of Blake himself.

As in the new single “Nicotine Daydream” – a story about youth and that very meeting which leaves a mark for a lifetime. Smeltz throws open the windows of memory, somewhere behind rumbles the voice of Springsteen, ahead – a road without an address, and no turn yet has consequences. “Nicotine Daydream” is a light dizziness from the name you no longer say aloud, but still hear in your head. “Nicotine Daydream” is written in the best traditions of modern country, but with a clear tilt towards country rock with driving guitars, dense sound, and palpable nostalgia give the song volume. This is what is now called “gritty Americana”, a genre space where country meets indie, rock, and personal confessions. Modern country is undergoing serious transformation from music of small towns it is turning into a space of big feelings. Blake Smeltz himself returns to the genre with the depth that Johnny Cash and Townes Van Zandt once carried, the depth of personal experience.

The track was produced by Charlotte Avenue Entertainment, David Flint, and William Gawley. The single will be part of the album “Heartbreak Highway”, which will be released in July and, apparently, will become another milestone in the evolution of country, a genre grounded in what truly hurts. Blake Smeltz makes country what it should be in the 21st century, open, humane, without gloss, but full of truth.

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