I was starting to think this one would never arrive.
On Friday, Riley Green gave fans perhaps one of the most anticipated releases of his career with his new single They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That No More. The release comes in anticipation of Green’s upcoming album Ain’t My Last Rodeo, which is set to release October 13. Riley teased the single with a jam session recording on Instagram this past Thursday:
Riley’s fans have been waiting on this one to drop for a while now. He first showcased the song way back in 2020 during his acoustic “Golden Saw” series, and it immediately became a fan favorite. The recording is the eighth most viewed video on Riley’s official Youtube page without ever having been released to streaming previously. Despite plenty of begging on social media, however, Riley hadn’t given any indication we’d be getting a studio recording until he released the track list for Ain’t My Last Rodeo last month.
Full to the brim with classic country imagery, the song centers around the age old idea that new isn’t always better. Whether it be an old beat up pick up, a trusty guitar, or our grandparents themselves, there’s something about the way things used to be that has a way of sticking around. The studio recording is right in line with what we’ve come to expect from Riley, with a full sound and simple guitar riffs that keep the focus on the powerful lyrics. Given the popularity of the original Golden Saw recording, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an acoustic cut hit streaming once the full album is out.
In an era that has seen double and even triple albums feel like the new norm, Riley is keeping it to a tight twelve songs on the new record. In addition to They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That No More, Green has also previously put out five songs from the track list already, meaning we’ll have heard half the album before it releases next month. Some fans may be disappointed we won’t be getting more, but given we haven’t seen a full length project from Riley since his debut studio album Different ‘Round Here back in in 2019, we’ll take anything we can get from the Duckman.
Plus, the song is DAMN good.
If you can’t get enough of Riley ahead of his upcoming album, go check out the rest of the “Golden Saw” Series. The story behind the set is really cool, and there’s tons of stripped versions of some of his biggest hits. And for his female fans, check out Riley’s side hustle as an underwear model.