Tyler Childers has spent his career building country music from the ground up, one banjo lick and one fiddle break at a time. His new album Snipe Hunter continues that project with thirteen songs that refuse to sit still. It is a record about the grind of small-town life, the hunger that comes with it, and the strange joy of being alive even when things are falling apart. The title track is a hunting story, but the album is really about being hunted — by your own demons, by the world, by the passage of time itself.
This is not an easy listen. Childers is not interested in comfort. He wants to make you feel the dirt on your hands and the sweat on your back. The record runs 53 minutes across thirteen tracks, and it moves fast.
Eatin’ Big Time Opens the Record
The album starts with “Eatin’ Big Time,” a song about the struggle to feed your family and the shame that comes with it. It sets the tone immediately: this is a record about dignity under pressure. The banjo carries the melody, but the vocal is the star. Childers sounds like he is singing from the bottom of his stomach, and that rawness is the whole point.
“Cuttin’ Teeth” follows, a song about learning to survive. It is a shorter track, more compact, and it works as a palate cleanser after the opener’s weight. “Oneida” shifts gears, taking on a specific place and its history. The song is named after the town, and it feels like a portrait of a community that has seen better days.
Getting to the Bottom and the Middle Stretch
“Getting to the Bottom” is the record’s emotional center. It is a song about facing your problems head-on, and Childers sings it with a clarity that is almost brutal. “Bitin’ List” and “Nose on the Grindstone” are shorter, more direct, and they function as connective tissue rather than full statements. They are not the strongest tracks here, but they keep the momentum moving.
“Watch Out” is a warning song, and it lands with real force. Childers knows the dangers he is describing, and he sings about them with a sense of lived experience. “Down Under” is the album’s darkest moment, a song about being buried alive in your own life. It is a slow burn, and it builds to a chorus that feels like a scream.
Poachers, Snipe Hunt and the Turn Toward Travel
“Poachers” is a song about the people who take what isn’t theirs, and it has a sharp edge to it. “Snipe Hunt” is the title track, and it delivers on the promise of the record’s name. It is a song about chasing something you might not catch, and Childers sings it with a weariness that is deeply human. “Tirtha Yatra” is a travel song, and it breaks the album’s rural focus with a sense of wanderlust.
“Tomcat and a Dandy” is a character study, and it is one of the record’s best moments. The title is playful, but the song itself is not. It is about survival, and it is sung with a kind of quiet desperation. “Dirty Ought Trill” closes the album with a final push. It is a song about doing what you have to do, and Childers ends the record on a note of resolve.
What Works and What Doesn’t
The middle stretch — “Bitin’ List,” “Nose on the Grindstone,” “Watch Out” — is where the record loses a little steam. These songs are competent, but they do not reach the heights of the opener or the closer. They are transitional, and they work best in the context of the album as a whole.
The title track is the exception. “Snipe Hunt” is a standout, and it earns its place as the centerpiece of the record. It is a song about the hunt and the hunted, and it captures the tension that defines the entire album.
“Snipe Hunt” is the title track, and it delivers on the promise of the record’s name.
The Verdict
Snipe Hunter is a strong album from a songwriter who knows exactly what he is doing. Childers has built a sound that is his own, rooted in traditional country but colored by his own experiences. The record is uneven, but its highs are high enough to carry the whole thing.
The production is clean and unobtrusive, letting the songs breathe. The band plays with precision, and the solos land with real feeling. This is a record about the everyday, and it treats those everyday moments with the respect they deserve.
- Eatin’ Big Time4:45
- Cuttin’ Teeth3:46
- Oneida4:38
- Getting to the Bottom4:30
- Bitin’ List2:57
- Nose on the Grindstone2:56
- Watch Out3:45
- Down Under4:47
- Poachers4:09
- Snipe Hunt3:49
- Tirtha Yatra4:43
- Tomcat and a Dandy4:43
- Dirty Ought Trill4:31
