{"id":2044801,"date":"2026-07-15T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T05:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044801"},"modified":"2026-07-15T08:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T05:00:22","slug":"waylon-wyatt-dustpiles-review-rising-country-star-is-here-to-lasso-your-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044801","title":{"rendered":"Waylon Wyatt \u2013 \u2018Dustpiles\u2019 review: rising country star is here to lasso your heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Waylon-Wyatt-Credit-Cole-Silberman.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Waylon-Wyatt-Credit-Cole-Silberman-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Waylon Wyatt Dustpiles Review Artwork\" title=\"Waylon Wyatt Credit Cole Silberman\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Waylon Wyatt. Credit: Cole Silberman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Waylon Wyatt \u2013 \u2018Dustpiles\u2019 review: rising country star is here to lasso your heart<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The 19-year-old Arkansas singer-songwriter\u2019s debut album captures the raw emotion that made him a sensation in the first place<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">4<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Jordan Bassett<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-15T09:00:22+01:00\">15th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Authenticity is arguably the main currency in country music. Well, that and double denim. We\u2019re not sure about 19-year-old TikTok sensation Waylon Wyatt\u2019s official stance on this controversial look, but he certainly has an interesting approach to the other issue at the centre of the genre. Last year, when he graced <i>NME<\/i>\u2019s <i>The Cover<\/i>, he explained that his emotionally wrenching tunes aren\u2019t always about lived experience and have, in fact, been inspired by everything from <i>Forrest Gump<\/i> to the gaudy reality show <i>Dance Moms<\/i>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Little Grandad: the alt-country band speeding towards stardom<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Even his badass name is something of an invention, given that Wyatt is really his middle name and his real surname is Potter. Rather than indicating any kind of insincerity, all of this points towards the Arkansas-raised teen\u2019s talent and ingenuity \u2013 qualities that are in abundance on his debut album, \u2018Dustpiles\u2019, which follows a couple of similarly stark, acoustic-based EPs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>On the closing title track, a muted ditty adorned with an elegiac sweep of violin, he lays out the vulnerability that makes much of his music so striking: <i>\u201cI put my heart on the table as an option \/ You can take it or leave it lyin\u2019 there.\u201d<\/i> The brooding \u2018But There Was A Time\u2019 aches with the world-weary line: <i>\u201cLove\u2019s a funny thing \/ The way it gives and takes.\u201d<\/i> There is so much pain and regret on this record \u2013 far more than he should have known before his 20th birthday.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Waylon Wyatt - Dead Man Walkin' (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kTdIrRPRKXM?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Indeed, Wyatt has already endured tragedy way beyond his years: the budding singer was still a child when his brother, Dylan, took his own life. Dylan was a guitarist, which inspired Waylon to learn to play the instrument in tribute. This ultimately resulted in the album\u2019s standout track \u2018Everything Under the Sun\u2019, a TikTok smash that Wyatt wrote when he was just 16. Already, the elements that make him such an exciting artist were in place \u2013 the urgency of his playing, the rawness of his voice, the catchiness of an upbeat tune undercut by deceptively lovelorn lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not above the odd clich\u00e9 (<i>\u201cAren\u2019t you tired of being sick and tired?\u201d<\/i> he asks on the slight \u2018Otherside\u2019) but, overall, it\u2019s Wyatt\u2019s gift for storytelling that really stands out here. \u2018The Dress\u2019 initially seems like a rote tale of a man picking out a gift for his significant other, until it turns out he\u2019s actually selecting her funeral attire, a neat narrative trick that echoes Elvis\u2019 \u2018Long Black Limousine\u2019. Whatever the inspiration behind the track, Waylon Wyatt\u2019s the real deal.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Waylon-Wyatt-Dustpiles-Review-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"waylon wyatt dustpiles review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Music Soup\/Darkroom Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> July 17, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Country<\/li>\n<li>Waylon Wyatt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Jack White offers Twin Temple support slot after duo were dropped from Charley Crockett tour due to \u201cSatanic imagery\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch Mumford &amp; Sons bring out surprise guests Shania Twain and Hozier at BST Hyde Park<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Staind frontman Aaron Lewis responds to his soon-to-be-released MAGA album cover already being used as shredded packaging for Taylor Swift merch<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Here\u2019s Brandon Flowers\u2019 wistful new solo single \u2018Plans\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Jelly Roll addresses cheating rumours amidst divorce from Bunnie Xo after 10 years of marriage<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Taylor Swift wrote and recorded \u2018Toy Story 5\u2019 theme in just eight hours: \u201cKind of a hectic day\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Authenticity is arguably the main currency in country music. Well, that and double denim. We\u2019re not sure about 19-year-old TikTok sensation Waylon Wyatt\u2019s official stance on this controversial look, but he certainly has an interesting approach to the other issue at the centre of the genre. Last year, when he graced <i>NME<\/i>\u2019s <i>The Cover<\/i>, he explained that his emotionally wrenching tunes aren\u2019t always about lived experience and have, in fact, been inspired by everything from <i>Forrest Gump<\/i> to the gaudy reality show <i>Dance Moms<\/i>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Little Grandad: the alt-country band speeding towards stardom<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Even his badass name is something of an invention, given that Wyatt is really his middle name and his real surname is Potter. Rather than indicating any kind of insincerity, all of this points towards the Arkansas-raised teen\u2019s talent and ingenuity \u2013 qualities that are in abundance on his debut album, \u2018Dustpiles\u2019, which follows a couple of similarly stark, acoustic-based EPs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>On the closing title track, a muted ditty adorned with an elegiac sweep of violin, he lays out the vulnerability that makes much of his music so striking: <i>\u201cI put my heart on the table as an option \/ You can take it or leave it lyin\u2019 there.\u201d<\/i> The brooding \u2018But There Was A Time\u2019 aches with the world-weary line: <i>\u201cLove\u2019s a funny thing \/ The way it gives and takes.\u201d<\/i> There is so much pain and regret on this record \u2013 far more than he should have known before his 20th birthday.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Waylon Wyatt - Dead Man Walkin' (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kTdIrRPRKXM?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Indeed, Wyatt has already endured tragedy way beyond his years: the budding singer was still a child when his brother, Dylan, took his own life. Dylan was a guitarist, which inspired Waylon to learn to play the instrument in tribute. This ultimately resulted in the album\u2019s standout track \u2018Everything Under the Sun\u2019, a TikTok smash that Wyatt wrote when he was just 16. Already, the elements that make him such an exciting artist were in place \u2013 the urgency of his playing, the rawness of his voice, the catchiness of an upbeat tune undercut by deceptively lovelorn lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not above the odd clich\u00e9 (<i>\u201cAren\u2019t you tired of being sick and tired?\u201d<\/i> he asks on the slight \u2018Otherside\u2019) but, overall, it\u2019s Wyatt\u2019s gift for storytelling that really stands out here. \u2018The Dress\u2019 initially seems like a rote tale of a man picking out a gift for his significant other, until it turns out he\u2019s actually selecting her funeral attire, a neat narrative trick that echoes Elvis\u2019 \u2018Long Black Limousine\u2019. Whatever the inspiration behind the track, Waylon Wyatt\u2019s the real deal.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Waylon-Wyatt-Dustpiles-Review-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"waylon wyatt dustpiles review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Music Soup\/Darkroom Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> July 17, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/waylon-wyatt-dustpiles-review-3956635&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Waylon-Wyatt-Credit-Cole-Silberman.jpg&#8221;] Waylon Wyatt. Credit: Cole Silberman ReviewsAlbum Reviews Waylon Wyatt \u2013 \u2018Dustpiles\u2019 review: rising country star is here to lasso your heart The 19-year-old Arkansas singer-songwriter\u2019s debut album captures the raw emotion that made him a sensation in the first place 4 By Jordan Bassett 15th July 2026 Authenticity is arguably the main [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2044801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2044801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044801\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2044801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2044801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2044801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}