Braedon Barnhill revisits the bittersweet sting of a love that was never meant to last with his latest track, “Summer Only Lasts So Long,” out today via The Valory Music Co. Co-written by Braedon alongside hitmakers Kelly Archer (Jason Aldean, Brett Young, Reba McEntire) and Ben Goldsmith (Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, Russell Dickerson), the track is drenched in early-2000s Country charm and delivered like a postcard from a season that left its mark. With vocals that linger like tan lines, the warm sigh of steel guitar and the swelling notes of the fiddle, “Summer Only Lasts So Long” reads like a love letter to the long days, late nights and the love you can’t hold on to.
“I wrote ‘Summer Only Lasts So Long’ about a time when I was really happy and everything in my life felt like it was falling into place,” shares Braedon. “That summer was full of great moments, but when the season ended, so did that relationship. Life didn’t slow down, and I never really had time to process it all. This song was my way of holding on to that feeling – it came straight from the heart, while everything was still fresh.”
The new track follows a string of releases from Braedon, including the “irresistible country rocker” “Dashboard Dreaming” (MusicRow), introspective coming-of-age anthem “Dancing By Myself,” heartfelt apology “Front Porch Lights” and the deeply personal “Want It Back.” “Summer Only Lasts So Long” finds Braedon continuing to pull back the curtain on young love and heartbreak, capturing a sense of early 2000s-inspired nostalgia that pairs perfectly with his vocal tone. “Summer Only Lasts So Long” adds another chapter to Braedon’s ever-evolving story – one that speaks to anyone who’s ever wished they could freeze time, just for a little while longer.
ABOUT BRAEDON BARNHILL: These days Country music can be a lot of things, but to The Valory Music Co.’s emerging singer-songwriter Braedon Barnhill, there’s one thing it’s not – and that’s “black-and-white.” Tapping the emotional gray space of his own coming-of-age, the 23-year-old breakout talent writes songs filled with romantic realism, where love isn’t perfect, and neither are people. Boasting a smooth, Texas Hill Country tenor and a youthful, organic sound, his tunes embrace the messy complexities and contradictions of the heart – offering both sage lyrical insight and intriguing modern energy. A fourth generation native of Marble Falls, Texas, the rising star grew up a lifelong fan of Texas Country music … just without realizing what “Texas Country” was. Baptized in the Lone Star lifestyle and inspired by everything from George Strait and Billy Joe Shaver to Randy Rogers Band, Reckless Kelly and more, Barnhill’s own style is something different – a forward looking fusion of the Texas-Country edge and borderless pop rock. Starting out as a songwriter, he played his first show at 19 and has now gone from valeting cars to the verge of stardom, personally signed to Big Machine Label Group by CEO and founder Scott Borchetta. Since then, Barnhill has shared stages with personal heroes like Randy Rogers, Josh Abbott and beyond, while honing his craft with Nashville’s songwriting elite. That work culminated in early 2025 with his Big Machine debut, “Dashboard Dreaming” – an easy-rolling highway rocker, lost in a haze of romantic what-ifs – and there are more lyrically-layered, self-penned tunes to come, as a year of firsts takes Barnhill far beyond the Texas state line.
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