Hurricane Highway release brand-new single

Nine-time Grammy nominated multi-award winning Band, Hurricane Highway, have released a brand-new single.

The band, whose lead singer Ed Holland is a native of Westport, released ‘Home Team’ today.

The new single from one of Ireland’s biggest American country rock bands was co-written by Nancy Moser (Kentucky), Kelly McKay (Nashville), and Kevin Rowe (Chicago).

Speaking to The Mayo News, the Westport frontman Ed Holland said the song is about ‘that automatic connection and bonds between a group of friends, they're always there to celebrate their achievements, however big or small they are’.

The song highlights that although they may not agree on various topics like sports, God, politics, whiskey, or even vehicle preferences; they stand united as a team, supporting each other in times of need.

The lyrics suggest that even if they haven't seen some of these friends in years or if they live far apart, the connection they formed in the past remains strong. The experiences they've shared, enduring both heavenly and hellish moments together, have created an unbreakable bond that time and distance cannot diminish.

The phrase ‘Home Team’ serves as a metaphor for their close-knit group, where members can rely on each other no matter what. This group is described as being like a team, sticking together through thick and thin, winning or losing, and overcoming difficult times.

The heartfelt lyrics are sung atop a foot tapping rhythm and catchy melody.

Talking about the songwriting process, Ed explained that he and his co-writers meet every Tuesday to write under Lindsay Music, the publishing company behind Gareth Brooks' hit song ‘The Dance’.

“Every Tuesday through Zoom, it all comes together. I can be either at home here in Westport, or I could be in Spain or I could be in America or wherever it is, but we write every Tuesday, and sometimes we bring in a producer from Nashville to kind of structure the song and that's how a song comes together.”

_{The artwork for the new single, 'Home Team'}

Ed thought he knew ‘a bit about songwriting’ but said he ‘didn’t know anything’ up until three years ago when he began writing with American companies.

“I think because the way they do it over there in America is a completely different process. How the songwriting process comes together, we need to come up with the hook, you might spend two hours trying to get the hook because that's everything, you write to the hook, as they say,” he said.

Reflecting on the success, particularly in the States, Ed said original music is accepted ‘really well’ there.

“The biggest difference I could see over there [US] to over here [Ireland] is that with original music, they really sit on and listen to your singing in an original song, you have to do covers as well you know, but in terms of original music, they really, really connect with it,” he added.

Hurricane Highway have always remembered their Mayo roots, with Castlebar’s Kate Heneghan and Áine Coyne from Ballyhaunis joining them for a period a few years ago.

At the time, the band told The Mayo News: “We really are trying to keep it as a Mayo band.”

They have seen major success, including Grammy nominations and chart success, particularly in the US.”

With upcoming shows around Ireland and the UK, Ed admitted life on the road can be tough.

“I've been at it a long time, life on the road can be fun, but it can be tiring at times. You're working with a lot of personalities, so it's like not everybody's going to get on, you have to find ways, keep your space.

“But thank God we've an amazing team in Nashville and all the guys that we work with that are behind the scenes, so everything’s kind of run out of Nashville now, which is amazing,” he concluded.

Hurricane Highway are currently at number 69 in the US chart with their third charted US single called ‘She Sang Shut up and Dance’, which climbed three spots following the release of ‘Home Team’. This makes Hurricane Highway the only ever Irish Country Rock Band to have a US top 100 single.

‘Baby I Do’, the band's most successful US hit, also written by Ed Holland and his co-writers, reached number 46 on the US music row chart.

You can stream ‘Home Team’ on Spotify and Apple Music and for more on Hurricane Highway, see their website www.hurricanehighway.net.