Manny Blu is ringing in the new year with the release of his Country Punk EP, available everywhere today. Following the release of his EP DEViL earlier this year, Country Punk EP takes Blu’s created vibe to the next level. The EP is now available worldwide on all streaming services here.
Writing credits on the EP include a roster of names: Stephen Allbritten, Ryan Pattengale, Jake Olbauhm, David Brown, Matt Lukasiewicz and Nathan Dohse. Country Punk EP is five tracks of hard-hitting rhythms and Blu’s created way of capturing the lyrical storytelling of country music in sounds of punk rock. This EP is extremely special to Blu because he was able to co-produce the project and showcase his originality.
Talking about the project, Blu states, “The Country Punk EP was one that we were able to have fun creating without too much thinking about ‘how it should go’ or ‘what works’ musically. We let the songs be what they should be, what I wanted them to be, and didn’t have to deal with any pressure or restraints from anyone outside the studio. I wanted to make something for me that represented who I am as an artist and the Country Punk lifestyle. We created a vibe for those that don’t fit the mould and invite everyone to enjoy it along with us as we head into the New Year.”
Three tracks from the forthcoming EP have already been released, “Doin’ Fine,” Too Bad So Sad,” and “95,” and are drawing attention on streaming platforms and playlists. Some well-known playlists include: Spotify’s New Music Nashville and Country Rocks playlists, Apple Music New in Country playlist, Tidal’s Rising and Rising: Country playlists, CMT’s “The Roundup” playlist and more. Along with the buzz on his new EP, Blu also announced that he will start 2022 off on tour with Dallas Smith on his ‘Some Things Never Change’ tour in Canada. Others to join that tour will be James Barker Band, Shawn Austin, Meghan Patrick, and JoJo Mason.
Overall, 2021 has been a monumental year for Blu as he started to establish himself as more of a global artist with listeners in 128 countries. He gained momentum in the first half of the year with the release of his third EP, DEViL – a tracklist that uses his country punk attitude to express testaments of love and explain where he is at in his life right now. The EP featured hit songwriters Michael Hardy, Ryan Hurd, Craig Wiseman, Ryan Beaver, and more. Since its release, Blu has been described as “Aldean meets Eddie Van Halen” (Lyric Magazine), and his tracks have garnered massive attention. “Train” (HERE) reached 1M+ streams. The official music video for “Might As Well Lead” (HERE) was broadcast on CMT, Nashville Country TV, CMC Country, and more.
“Valet” feat. fellow Montrealer Brittany Kennell received rave reviews as it showcased Blu’s falsetto and ended up on several playlists including, but not limited to the following: Apple’s New in Country, Country Risers, Canada’s Country; Tidal’s Country Waves, Now Playing Nashville, UpStar Music; and Spotify’s New Music Nashville. That single also made Blu the face of Apple Music’s Canada’s Country playlist the week of its release. “Circle Up,” featuring Blaine Holcomb, brought out more of Blu’s rocker side, and lastly, “Rusty Things” debuted with the album and appeared as a special performance for Blu on his Live & Turned Up Series (HERE).
Throughout 2021, Blu’s social footprint on TikTok has grown to a record of 2.5M+ and his YouTube series, which includes his Live & Turned Up concert series, has a record of 1M+ views. Fans can experience Blu’s performance skills by watching the Live & Turned Up concert series here. To date, he has filmed two Live & Turned Up series, which included performance combinations of his own catalog and covers. Blu introduced his sound first in his 2019 EP Leave It Like It Is and his follow-up EP release, New Ink, which involved major songwriters Josh Osborne, Ross Copperman, and Rhett Atkins. Despite the difficulties that all artists faced in 2020, it was also a landmark year for Manny Blu as he continued to make himself seen in the country music community. The promising artist expanded his team to an international level through added representation in the US and the UK.
Country Punk EP Track List:
“Doin’ Fine” (Stephen Allbritten, David Brown, Nathan Dohse)
“95” (David Brown & Ryan Pattengale)
“Balance” (Stephen Allbritten, Jake Olbauhm, & Nathan Dohse)
“Prove Me Wrong” (Stephen Allbritten & Nathan Dohse)
“Too Bad So Sad” (Matt Lukasiewicz)
