| "Wastin' Whiskey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by James Barker Band | ||||
| Released | March 25, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Starseed | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Todd Clark | |||
| James Barker Band singles chronology | ||||
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| Lyric Video | ||||
| "Wastin' Whiskey" on YouTube | ||||
"Wastin' Whiskey" is a song recorded by Canadian country group James Barker Band. The group's frontman James Barker wrote the song with Jared Keim and Travis Wood, while Todd Clark produced the track. [1]
The band previewed "Wastin' Whiskey" on multiple social media platforms including Twitter and TikTok prior to its release. [2] [3] They also promoted the release of the track with a video titled "Wastin' Whiskey Roulette" where each of the band members took sips of unknown liquids out of shot glasses. [4] The song is part of a large crop of new music the band intends to release as a potential album including "Over All Over Again" and "New Old Trucks". [2] James Barker cited the song as the group's first "fan-driven" single, as the initial clip of the song that the band posted to TikTok quickly received over one million views in under a month, [5] prompting the band to choose it as their next release to radio. [3] He said that the song "came together in just a few hours – everything from the lyrics to production" and that most of the original vocals are the ones on the final version of the track. [3]
Nanci Dagg of Canadian Beats Media stated that the song "takes listeners back to the all-too-relatable agony of not being able to get over a broken heart, regardless of how many drinks you down," noting "heartbreak-fuelled electric guitar licks and Barker's smooth vocals". [3] Lauren Lee of Front Porch Music favourably reviewed the track, saying that the band "perfectly [captures] that oh-so-relatable feeling of desperation that comes with the end of a relationship – the inability to move on, no matter how deeply you try to drown your sorrows". [6]
| Year | Association | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Canadian Country Music Association | Single of the Year | Nominated | [7] |
"Wastin' Whiskey" reached a peak of number two on the Billboard Canada Country chart for the week of August 27, 2022, [8] marking the band's tenth top ten hit. [9] It also reached a peak of number 67 on the Canadian Hot 100 for the same week. [10] It has been certified Gold by Music Canada. [11]
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [10] | 67 |
| Canada Country ( Billboard ) [8] | 2 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) [11] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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