Luke Combs' releases 'Father & Sons' album: 'Being a dad is where life has taken me'

The 12-track project is stacked with songs about fatherhood.

Luke Combs' releases 'Father & Sons' album: 'Being a dad is where life has taken me'
Amy E. Price/Getty Images
June 14, 2024, 3:02 PM

Luke Combs' long-awaited album of dad songs, "Fathers & Sons," is here -- and just in time for Father's Day.

The personal 12-track project is stacked with songs about fatherhood, life and raising a youngin'.

On Friday, Combs took to Instagram to share why he made the album and said that being a dad is the most important thing to him.

"I've got two boys under 2, so my life is dominated by the thoughts of being there for them," he said in a statement. "I want to be their dad first and foremost."

"I just had to do this project ... because being a dad to my boys has been the main thing on my mind lately," he added.

While the album highlights the universal father-son relationship, the father of two also let his experience as a touring artist and family man come through, as evidenced on the album opener, "Front Door Famous."

Elsewhere, "Little Country Boys" paints a picture of father and son bonding together, and the faith-inspired "Plant a Seed" chronicles a dad imparting life lessons to his son.

"True love and the gospel / Might take a while to blossom / But you dig down in that garden and you plant 'em anyways / Just let God be the farmer, he's got the sun and water / It's up to him to let 'em bloom / And let 'em see the light of day," Combs sings in one verse from "Plant a Seed."

"Oh, time ain't always your friend / It starts slow and gets faster towards the end / So fill up your heart with love, pass it on before you go / And thank the man upstairs that you were there to plant a seed and watch it grow," he continues in the chorus, highlighting the gift of leaving a legacy behind.

In his Instagram post Friday, Combs also shared his thoughts about how he thinks the new album will be received by fans.

"I've been putting out music for over 10 years now," he said. "Over time, I've gotten a pretty good grasp on what I feel like my fans enjoy hearing. It's scary to think about changing that, but I've always wanted to grow up alongside my fan base."

He continued, "... Part of me does wonder -- do y'all even want to hear songs about being a dad? I hope so... But at the same time, I know I could try and recreate the mainstream success of 'Beer Never Broke My Heart' or 'When it Rains it Pours' and sometimes I selfishly want to do that."

He concluded his post by writing, "I don't want to say this is a side project because it is me and my stuff, but what started as a crazy idea with only a few dad songs turned into me saying we should just record all of them as my next album. I know it's probably not what everyone expected my next album to be and I get that; I feel the same way in this not truly feeling like my next album. But being a dad is where life has taken me, and this album is a reflection of that in song form."

PHOTO: Luke Combs performs during the 2024 Mack, Jack & McConaughey Gala, April 25, 2024, in Austin, Texas.
Luke Combs performs during the 2024 Mack, Jack & McConaughey Gala, April 25, 2024, in Austin, Texas.
Amy E. Price/Getty Images

Combs and his wife Nicole Hocking are parents to sons Tex Lawrence Combs and Beau Lee Combs.

"Fathers & Sons" is available now wherever you get music.

Combs also recently released the single "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma," which you can find on "Twisters: The Album," out July 19.

To see Combs on his ongoing Growin' Up and Gettin' Old Tour, head to lukecombs.com.

Below, see the tracklist for "Fathers & Sons."

  1. "Front Door Famous"
  2. "In Case I Ain't Around"
  3. "Huntin' by Yourself"
  4. "Little Country Boys"
  5. "Whoever You Turn Out to Be"
  6. "Remember Him That Way"
  7. "The Man He Sees in Me"
  8. "All I Ever Do is Leave"
  9. "Plant a Seed"
  10. "Ride Around Heaven"
  11. "My Old Man Was Right"
  12. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

This article was updated with additional comments from Luke Combs' Instagram page.