Halftime Favorites of 2025

We’re halfway through 2025, and it already feels like one of the most fertile years in Texas and Red Dirt music in recent memory. With new artists crashing onto the scene, veterans reinventing themselves, and a steady stream of road-worn anthems and bedroom demos hitting our playlists, it’s been one helluva six months.

At Galleywinter, we’ve had our ears to the ground as usual. Here's what’s been blowing up our speakers and tugging at our hearts so far in 2025.

• Presley Haile - The quiet thunder out of Hamilton, TX. While other artists were getting TikTok buzz, Presley was building something lasting. Her songwriting is honest, haunted, and refreshingly unbothered by trends. She's not just keeping up, she’s setting the pace. Read more about here here.

• Turnpike Troubadours - These boys from Oklahoma returned to form with another masterpiece of a record. They combined it with continuing to sell out arenas and stadiums.

• Hudson Westbrook - It's been a while since we've seen an artist blow up this fast. Likely since Koe in 2016. While his smooth take on country invited throngs of young listeners, it was his live performances that made believers out of everyone.

• Cameron Allbright - Allbright bent our ear in 2024 and we knew he was destined for the big time. More and more people are joining the Cameron party all the time. He's earned some high profile festival spots and continues to garner radio play on the strength of his songwriting chops.

• Bleu Edmondson - After a long wait, Bleu returned with a Wade Bowen produced masterpiece. He rightfully reclaimed his spot amid the best songwriters from Texas.

• Drew Kennedy - Drew Kennedy continues to prove that longevity and evolution can walk hand in hand. His 2025 release is a masterclass in nuance. Equal parts weathered wisdom and wide-eyed wonder. The songwriting is cinematic, the delivery understated, and the impact lasting.

• Lukas Nelson - Blending cosmic country, roots rock, and a touch of California soul, his latest material feels both expansive and intimate. He’s not chasing his father’s shadow—he’s casting his own.

• William Beckmann - Beckmann keeps leveling up without losing the velvet sincerity that makes his sound stand out. In 2025, he’s tightened his grip on that Roy Orbison-meets-border-ballad lane, releasing a string of singles that feel timeless and fresh all at once.

• Cross Canadian Ragweed - The buzz from the April shows hasn't let up. A Colorado date next month and the big Waco show in August beckon. Don't reckon we will come back down from this purple cloud anytime soon.

• James McMurtry - the gritty lyrical landscape master returns with another album of stories and longing that fit inside his cannon. One listen will tell you everything you need to know and give you more questions than you thought possible.

OUR FAVORITE SONGS (SO FAR)

• “Break Itself” – Randy Rogers Band - Co-written by Randy Rogers alongside Parker McCollum and Randy Montana, the song is a gut‑punch ballad that takes honest responsibility for a relationship’s collapse. The track blends the RRB's signature Texas grit with a classic waltz rhythm and Rogers' vocals that sound both weathered and genuine. RRB still never miss.

• “Simple Little Love Song" – Nyles - Nyles has delivered a simple, earnest love song that feels like a return home—quick, warm, and ready for what’s ahead. It doesn't hurt that he mixed in some Stones' Exile on Main Street era saxophone in all the right spots.

• “Heaven Passing Through” – Turnpike Troubadours - “Heaven Passing Through” is Turnpike Troubadours at their most reflective, carving out space for stillness and appreciation within the momentum of life. It marks the soul of The Price of Admission and is a testament to growth, intimacy, and timeless storytelling in 2025.

• “Texas Song” – Mason Lively - A fresh take on the tried and true "Texas" song. Lively paints pictures of traveling all over the Lone Star state to reconnect and forget.

• “Breaking Up the Band" - Kat Hasty - Echoing the turn of the century songs of Kacey Chambers, Kat Hasty continues to forge her own path. It's witty, heartfelt and pure Kat Hasty.

We'll save our album picks and other highlights for December when we unveil our Favorites of 2025. Until then, we'll see you at a show and down at the river