Sony Music Entertainment
On Oct. 3 country artist Luke Combs released an extended play (EP) labeled “The Prequel” that teases what’s to come for his upcoming album.
He announced the EP on Sept. 30 but told informed fans that his album wouldn’t be released until early 2026, according to a Sept. 30 post he made on Instagram.
“The Prequel” holds three tracks that give you a hint of uptempo honky-tonk country and a splash of slow paced acoustic country ballad.
“My Kinda Saturday Night” has an uptempo beat that makes you want to run to the dance floor if you’re in a bar.
It goes into detail about a Saturday night and uses lyrics such as “Boots on the back porch, stompin’ on the 2-4” which gives detailed imagery.
He repeats the song title in the chorus in typical style, which is catchy at first, but can eventually be a little repetitive.
The track details a party scene, “Cold can packin’ and some old boys crackin’ on whatever’s in the cooler lite / Sure sounds like my kinda Saturday night.”
He tries to capture a country-style night of drinking beer with your friends, but the problem is that it sounds more like a scene you would see in the summer.
I expected more slower paced music like the next two tracks especially since it’s officially the Fall season.
The next track, “15 Minutes” pivots to a slower tempo track that is more emotional and is from the point of view of an inmate talking to his mother over the phone.
The inmate is talking to his mother, but then remembers he has limited time to talk.
“I’m just tryna make the best of the rest of this life sentence / But enough about me, I only get 15 minutes.”
This takes a complete turn from the previous track as it makes a hard transition from partying with friends into a depressing phone call of an inmate talking to his mother from prison.
“Are you still teachin’ bible study? / Does Jesus really forgive all my sins? / Well, all kinds of things cross your mind / With all this doin’ time.”
Combs doesn’t normally talk about religion in his songs, but it’s nice to hear him mention it since I’ve had a similar question whether or not Jesus forgives all sins.
The song makes you feel sorrow for someone with a life sentence and provides that perspective of regret.
The final track “Days Like These” follows the same acoustic and slow paced feel, but with a positive and romantic feel.
It’s the officially released track that fans can finally listen to on streaming platforms which is the same as the unreleased version he performed and uploaded in 2022 to his YouTube account.
Combs describes his ideal perfect days leaning into imagery like the beautiful scenes of nature and an experience that money can’t buy.
“When the sky is blue and the grass is green / How much better can it be? – Well money can’t buy days like these.”
It hits a romantic turn when he says “If I got you, and you got me / We got everything we need.” describing his happiness while being with the person that means the most to him.
This track talks about the peaceful days that give people happiness.
I understand that this is an EP, but the three tracks don’t necessarily flow together and I would’ve preferred if there were songs that had a similar story to be released together.
“The Prequel” had an interesting turn after the first track, but it was exactly what the title says – a preview to what’s to come for Combs and his new upcoming album.
The first track could’ve waited to be released until the full album because it was more of a summer type of song, which doesn’t work too well with the current season.
It’s great to get early music, especially from a great artist like Luke Combs, but these are tracks that seem to have a story to tell and should’ve waited to release with the entire album.
It was a great EP to give fans a taste of what’s to come next, but definitely leaves you wanting more.
Rating: 4/5