Exclusive Premiere: Joey Hyde’s ‘Light This Town On Fire’

Even in the most difficult of times, one can often find a silver lining. That silver lining for Joey Hyde is a new song called “Light This Town On Fire,” which he calls the “most raw” song off his latest self-titled EP.

“Light This Town On Fire” was co-written by Hyde and friends Ryan Hurd and Neil Medley last year when he was going through a difficult time having recently broken up with his girlfriend of seven years and being dropped from his record label.

“Ryan’s one of my oldest writing buddies here in town,” Hyde tells Sounds Like Nashville. “It was Ryan’s title. The day I parted ways with the record label last year, Ryan and a bunch of our friends came over to my house and we were drinking and hanging out and Ryan gave me this big hug and said, ‘Dude, I’m going to light this whole town on fire.'”

Hyde explains that Hurd co-wrote half the record he was working on for his former label and he was “so devastated and heartbroken for me.” Two months later in the writing room Hurd told his co-writers Hyde and Medley that he had a title for a song: “Light This Town On Fire.”

“I looked at him and he nodded at me and I said, ‘All right, I guess we’re writing my story today,'” he recalls. “That was my chance to get my breakup and my parting with the record label out in the open and saying it exactly how I wanted to say it.”

An autobiographical song, Hyde sings of packing up his things and starting over. “How are you supposed to move on when there’s no closure / Yeah, you gotta make your own,” he sings. He later explains that unfortunately there isn’t always closure in every situation.

“Sometimes it’s better not to ask the question and go through it on your own,” he reflects. “Find your own peace without knowing all the details.”

Hyde released his EP on Feb. 26 and the five songs featured span his influences. “Let’s Just Be Honest,” which he co-wrote with Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi, is a song that he says came out naturally post breakup. “It was me trying to figure out how to be single,” he explains.

Meanwhile, “Rested Sober Drunk Hungover” has a distinct R&B and soul influence. Hyde admits he didn’t get into Motown and R&B until he moved to Nashville nearly 10 years ago.

“That’s the first time I ever made an attempt at that style for myself. It happened naturally and felt good singing and the lyrics felt pretty honest to me and I just rolled with it,” he says.

Hyde adds that it was out of personal necessity that he went into the studio to record his five new songs.

“It felt like I had to get some music out of my head and onto the record. It was something I needed to do for myself creatively and personally,” he concedes.

Joey Hyde’s self-titled EP is out now. Watch Sounds Like Nashville’s exclusive video premiere of  “Light This Town On Fire” below.