Photo Credit: Jade Rutledge
You just never know when a creative spark will happen, and for Camron Rushin, it was while out with family. His uncle’s sarcastic yet inspired response to his aunt’s inquiry about how many alcoholic beverages he’d consumed went on to be the basis for “Didn’t Come Here to Count ‘Em,” the brand new single from Austin’s The Best Around.
When “Didn’t Come Here to Count ‘Em” started, there was a moment I thought, “Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a country song?” That is because there was this quick moment where the music was very reminiscent of the space-like sounds of the ‘80s. Then I read that The Best Around describes their style as “cosmic honky-tonk big band” and the intro made more sense. There were hints of that cosmic energy sewn in between the seams of a big band sound that marched loud and proud ahead of the more countrified lyrical content.
Lyrical content I have to admit made me chuckle. Every scenario laid out in “Didn’t Come Here to Count ‘Em” comes with a comical air, especially the first. A bit of an homage to Rushin’s aunt and uncle, I could just picture a man eyeing up a woman at a bar only to discover – whoops! – that’s his wife. All of that said, The Best Around created a good-time song. The type of song you want to sing along to with a ragtag group of friends by your side.
The Best Around actually did their best coming together in early March 2020. They made do with the situation at hand, recording from each of their own homes to create what would be their debut single, “Margaret.” Since then they’ve released a handful more including “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?” and “Young.” To hear all of those and more, including “Didn’t Come Here to Count ‘Em,” make sure to check out The Best Around on all major music and streaming sites today.
Written by Kendra Beltran
