Tyler Childers has never been afraid to dig into the Appalachian dirt and pull out something raw and real. With Snipe Hunter, released July 25 and produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, he goes further than ever before—testing the limits of genre, narrative, and even spiritual terrain—without losing touch with the earth beneath his boots.
This 13-track odyssey finds Childers fully in command of his voice as both a storyteller and sonic risk-taker. The album brims with experimentation, but never for its own sake. From the fuzz-laced, garage-rock propulsion of “Bitin’ List” to the Phil Spector-style shimmer of “Oneida,” each song feels like an honest extension of his Appalachian roots rather than a rejection of them.
Where previous records like Purgatory and Long Violent History held tightly to fiddle and fire, Snipe Hunter opens the door to psychedelia, stripped-down Americana, and even devotional meditations. “Tirtha Yatra” is a standout—a spiritual journey layered with mysticism and magnetic restraint. “Snipe Hunt,” the title track, uses rural mischief as a metaphor for disillusionment and discovery, balancing humor and heartache with deft precision.
Much of this artistic leap can be credited to Rubin’s influence, who crafts a sonic landscape that invites both stillness and chaos. And while Childers leads with vision, the Food Stamps provide the backbone—loose, tight, and explosive when needed, but always soulful. Their performances feel less like studio takes and more like captured moments from a backwoods revival.
Still, it’s Childers’ pen that holds the power. Whether he’s revisiting fan favorites like “Nose on the Grindstone” or unpacking dense themes of scripture, labor, and legacy, there’s a burning sincerity that ties Snipe Hunter together. It’s an album that dares to step off the trail, get lost in the woods, and emerge changed.
In the end, Snipe Hunter isn’t just another chapter in Childers’ discography—it’s a bold, spiritual, and sonically adventurous turning point. He’s not just preserving tradition. He’s hunting something deeper. And he might’ve just caught it.
