Troy Cartwright Toasts Young Love on ‘My First Beer’
Coming of age anthem tells the story of a homecoming house party.
Newcomer Troy Cartwright captures the electric excitement of a high school house party in his new track, “My First Beer,” pouring vivid, unforgettable memories into a groove-country standout.
Written by the Texas native with Daniel Ross and Benjy Davis and produced by David Garcia (Bebe Rexha’s “Meant to Be” featuring Florida Georgia Line), the propulsive track places Cartwright’s gentle vocal rasp in front of a wide open country-rock sound. Electric banjo lines, atmospheric steel guitar and heart-pounding drums frame a story common to kids everywhere — namely, celebrating their first steps into adulthood with a keg and a crush.
“‘My First Beer’ is a story about a lot of firsts,” Cartwright explains. “My first homecoming, my first house party, my first romance, and, no surprise here, my first beer.”
The Berklee College of Music grad says he wanted to “tie a bow” on the coming of age experience, so he deftly picked a singular moment to serve as a touchstone the whole time period revolves around.
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“As a songwriter, the songs I most admire are able to take a small idea and spin it into something bigger, or take a phrase and turn it completely on its head,” he says. “That’s the muse I’m chasing every time I sit down to write, and that’s what I aimed to do with ‘My First Beer.’ This is my story, and this is my song.”
“Crawling in the backseat / Four deep, me in the middle of the night / On the way to that county line / Headlights on the highway / It was 9:05 on a Friday,” goes the scene-setting chorus. “Walking in the front door / Heart speedin’ up a little / She was standin’ by the trashcan keg in the back / Said put your cup right here / I swear I fell in love right there / Yeah I remember my first beer.”
Cartwright’s “My First Beer” is out now, alongside two other tracks he released earlier this year — “Hung Up On You” and “Love Like We Used To” — plus a deep catalog of previously released music. He’ll be on tour with the Josh Abbott Band this fall.
