Howdy, Fellow Traveler! – “Doorbell”

Indecent Artistry

Last week, Rolling Stone begrudgingly handed the coveted “Song of the Summer” to Ella Langley’s smash hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” an absurdly catchy, slow dancin’ country number. This is the third time a country-leaning track has received this accolade in recent memory, starting with “Last Night” by Nashville’s favorite moron Morgan Wallen in 2023, and followed by Shaboozey’s twangy J-Kwon update “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” in 2024. That’s also not counting Luke Combs’ massive hit, the controversial cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which controlled the radio waves both years. All of this radio fodder talk is to bemoan that the Song of the Summer award went to the wrong country track. 

Last week, Athens band Howdy, Fellow Traveler! dropped “Doorbell,” the lead single off their upcoming debut album, Gas Station Alligators. Principal songwriter Isaac Johnson describes his project as “just a farmer and his best friends singin’ songs,” which he formalized earlier this year with his first release, Snow Day Demos. This initial collection was recorded in Johnson’s shared basement with producer Adam Wayton after a gnarly freeze stopped the regular functions of Athens in January and February. The duo reunited on “Doorbell,” with the addition of familiar local faces to fill out the project’s dusty country sound, including Arianna Petersen on cello, Seth Brown on steel guitar, Will Wise on guitar, and a percussion section held down by Nicholas Dixon.

“Doorbell” is a real-ass country track filled with sage wisdom like, “If there’s a doorbell in your head, don’t you go ringin’ it / ‘Cause you might not like the man who answers the tone,” and, “If there’s a tin can in your soul, don’t you go kickin’ it / ‘Cause it’ll end you somewhere too far down the road.” All this wayward advice leads to the heartache at the center of the song, but Johnson knows better than anyone that toiling so much in that can be kind of funny. He’s laughing at moments in the heartbreak where misery is so melodramatic that you start thinking things like, “Your body, it can be trusted to leave you dirty, heartbroken, and alone.” His words assure that heartache is somewhat curable, even if he does it in a roundabout way. Ultimately, over the plucky wash of guitars and steel, Johnson admits that he hopes one day this will all stop and the love he lost will come back and “make me change all the words to this dumb song.”

“Doorbell” is perfect for lazy beer drinking, absent-minded steering wheel tapping, or cooking dinner and letting your mind wander back to that one special someone. It might not be the size of Ella Langley’s super hit, but that’s why it’s the real Song of the Summer.