Country rock is a genre that knows too much about itself. It remembers its roots too well, guards its canons too jealously, trusts its own rules too completely. Decades of existence have left behind an entire code of laws: how the guitar should sound, where the vocals should breathe, what tempo is permissible for a chorus. And within that very code lies a paradox. A genre born of rebels has long since become the territory of conservatives. People who play country rock in 2025 often play it as though music ended in 1977 — and all that remains is to bow politely. The Hooten Hallers from Missouri refuse to bow.

Their seventh full-length album, Van Jams Vol. 1, is a long-gestating result of a journey traveled together. A journey that crossed the borders of a single genre long ago and wandered into territories where country rock, alt-rock, R&B, and soul coexist in one space, clinging to each other and amplifying each other. Eleven tracks. An April 3rd release date. And a feeling that this band has finally made the album that made all those years of calluses worth it.

The Hooten Hallers have a weapon that makes them instantly recognizable — dueling vocals. John Randall with his powerful, gravelly lows and Andy Rehm with his buttery high tenor create a vocal pairing that runs on contrast, on friction, on a constant dialogue between weight and airiness. Add jangly electric guitar, pounding drums, and soaring bass lines on the baritone sax — and you get a sound that is hard to confuse with anyone else. The whole thing listens in a single breath, but I will highlight a few tracks that deserve special attention.

The opening track, “Cold Night for Alligators,” sets the tone with the precision of a seasoned showman who knows that the first thirty seconds decide everything. This is ideal commercial country rock — dense, confident, with vocals that sound as though nothing is beyond their reach. The track opens the album with the intonation of a grand show, and that sensation begs to be stretched as long as possible. A flawless entry point.

“Life During Wartime” shifts the register. Country rock here is saturated with punk-inflected lightness and the wild energy of abandon. The chorus hooks immediately — one of those you want to dance to, forgetting about style, forgetting about context, simply surrendering to the joy of movement. The track makes you smile. That is a rare and valuable quality.

In “Buena,” the album slows down, and the melody sinks into a measured soul sound. The dynamics of Van Jams Vol. 1 sway — waves of energy replacing one another, sending chills down your spine. The guitar in this track deserves a separate mention: it plays in a way that makes you want to close your eyes and let the sound lead.

“The Rubberband Man” brings the playfulness back. Rocky, bright, energetic — the track carries the recklessness of punk rock while preserving the signature atmosphere of The Hooten Hallers, the very one that sets them apart from dozens of bands with similar roots. “Woke Up in Love” breathes with airiness and country energy, and its lyrics are the kind that resonate with anyone who has ever loved this sound.

The closing “My Own Kick Going” — a track clocking in at four minutes and forty-five seconds — is where genres merge into one. The band offers a sound that expands their own palette. In just under five minutes, The Hooten Hallers manage to bring fresh air into the established world of rock music. A flawless closing gesture.

VERDICT

One might notice that Van Jams Vol. 1 is, in places, so confident in its own charm that it allows itself to stay in a comfort zone a little longer than one would like. Some tracks in the middle of the album lean on the same recipe: an energetic start, a powerful chorus, a predictable resolution. And a listener already accustomed to the surprises of the opening tracks may, for a moment, feel that the album has slowed down by inertia rather than by design. Then again, buried within that very inertia is the confidence of a band that has recorded seven albums and knows exactly when to hit the gas and when to let the engine idle.

And one more detail that deserves attention: the title. Vol. 1. A band releasing its seventh album puts the number “one” on the cover. It is a gesture that reads as appetite — a deliberate reset of the counter. The Hooten Hallers could have calmly continued the numbering, leaned on the momentum of their catalog. Instead, they mark a new starting point. Van Jams is a series, which means behind this album stands an intent that extends beyond a single release. Seven albums behind them, and the band behaves as though it is only warming up. There is something provocative and simultaneously infectious about that.

Van Jams Vol. 1 is a promising album and an excellent continuation of The Hooten Hallers‘ discography. Eleven tracks that fully reflect the band’s signature style while pushing it forward. This is a record on which Missouri rock sounds alive, hungry, and absolutely free of its own clichés. The Hooten Hallers prove that a seventh album can be the boldest one. Fans will get exactly what they were waiting for — and, more importantly, what they had stopped waiting for.

The album is out April 3, 2026.

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