Drinking alone is no fun. Whether it’s misery needing company or a partner needed for a good-timing night, it’s best to have someone by your side.
With his new single, “Drinkin’ Buddy,” Hayden Baker is taking applications for a pal to tip one (and possibly, many more) back with.
Though it was recorded three years ago, Baker says the time is perfect to release “Drinkin’ Buddy” out into the world.
“I’ve been sitting on this song for about three years now. We recorded it back in 2022 on the same session as ‘At Least I’m Here,’” says Baker. “When it was written, I was still signed to Ronnie Dunn’s publishing company. He heard it and loved it, and he thought it would be a good song to pitch to some big artists. Jon Pardi, Blake Shelton and Ronnie all considered cutting it, but nothing ever came of it. After sitting on my version for a couple years I figured spring/summer of 2025 would be a good time to get it out there!”
Baker remembers he and his co-writers finding an interesting angle for a drinking song in the writing room.
“I wrote it with Tom Perkins and Timothy Baker. It came together pretty quickly! We had the idea to write a fun drinking song that’s framed like a ‘Help Wanted’ ad,” says Baker. “There are so many fun lines in the song. My favorite is the second verse where it says ‘if your weekends ain’t available, don’t think your liver’s capable of throwing down a case of Shiner Lights, ain’t no need for you to even apply.’”
The Texas native, who lists a few of his personal favorite drinking songs as “Catch All the Fish” by Brad Paisley, “Cold Beer Conversation” by George Strait and “What Doesn’t Kill You” by Randall King, hopes to meet plenty of new drinking buddies on the road, as he again has a busy schedule laid out for the rest of the year.
“I’m so looking forward to it,” says Baker. “We’re getting the opportunity to headline a lot of premier honky tonks in Texas this year, and we’re seeing 100-300 people come out to these shows, which is very rewarding!”
“Drinkin’ Buddy” comes nearly a year to the day after Baker’s last album, Barely Gettin’ By, which he still holds near to his heart.
“I love that album so much. I’m so proud of the diversity of the songs, but at the same time, how they all have a common thread,” says Baker. “The Brad Paisley collaboration is still one of the coolest things ever to me; I can’t believe that thing exists. As a guitarist, I really love how many different hats I wore in the studio on that record. I’m very proud of the tones and sounds we captured for those songs.”
And though “Drinkin’ Buddy” will be a standalone single, Baker has big plans for a new album, releasing in the fall.
“’Drinkin’ Buddy’ will be its own thing and won’t be a part of a project, since it was recorded so long ago, but starting in May, we’ll be releasing singles from my next album that is set to release in October,” says Baker. It’s gonna be called Alive and Well, and it’s 10 of the absolute best songs I’ve been a part of writing. It’s incredible, and I can’t wait for it to be out.”
Pro Country 
Leave a comment