Chase Matthew

Chase Matthew’s muscled-up country is as influenced by the genre’s roots as it is by modern hip-hop. Born in 1997 and raised around Nashville, Matthew grew up in a musical family and was profoundly impacted by the songs he heard in church. Eventually, his passion for music led to him developing his low, hearty boom of a voice, and in the early 2020s, he rapidly became a social media star. Matthew’s love of hip-hop was clear straight from his rhythmic lyrical deliveries on early tracks like “Nashville Crazy,” and his 2021 County Line EP connects country with heavy beats. The title track adds a little hard rock through a dramatic guitar solo that drives home the heartache of seeing his ex at his favorite bar, while “Pull Up” supplies a true backroad party-starter. To close out the year, “Love Like That” sets aside the braggadocio for sentimentality, with Matthew searching for true love over soaring pedal steel.