“The Songs Just Feel Good to Me”: Morgan Wallen Pays Tribute to The War On Drugs as a Key Influence on ‘I'm the Problem’

It's no secret that Morgan Wallen has a penchant for blurring the lines between country and adjacent genres. His Hip Hop-leaning offerings are often championed as the most prominent examples of this, such as ‘Miami’, ‘180 (Lifestyle)’ and ‘Sunrise’. But on his new studio album, I'm the Problem, there is a vibrant cornucopia of other styles and sub-genres on display, such as indie-rock and alternative.

In his insightful new I'm the Problem CD Zine, the ‘Last Night’ chart-topper sheds light on the creative process behind the blockbuster, 37-song record, which dropped in May.

In an interview included in the Zine, Wallen touches on some of the key musical influences that colour I'm the Problem, with the Sneedville native paying homage to US rock veterans The War On Drugs as one of the most impactful artists on this project.

The ‘Thought You Should Know’ singer-songwriter explains, “My manager, Austin [Neal], has a very diverse musical taste. He introduced me to indie bands like The War On Drugs, and I was like, ‘Wow, I've never heard any of this before’. I like it mainly because of the way the music makes me feel. The lyrics are awesome, but I'm not even sure what half of them mean. The songs just feel good to me. I love how they sound. They're still one of my favorite bands to this day”.

He expands by highlighting how a significant amount of the songs on I'm the Problem stemmed from Wallen and his producer Charlie Handsome's pursuit of an aesthetic that draws heavily from artists like The War On Drugs, “A lot of their influence on my sound started in the room with me and Charlie Handsome, when I'd show him songs and sounds that I liked. I wanted to make songs that had the type of atmosphere I was hearing in alternative bands, like The War On Drugs”.

The ‘What I Want’ hitmaker concludes, “Throughout making this album, we had three stylistic pillars of what we wanted and that alternative sound was one of those pillars”.

You can undoubtedly hear the drama and atmospheric textures that underpins much of The War On Drugs’ discography seeping into a number of I'm the Problem stand-outs, such as the spellbinding ‘Dark Til Daylight’ and the galvanising ‘Genesis’.

Wallen recruited The War On Drugs to appear on his inaugural Sand in My Boots Festival this year, as part of an eclectic bill that also featured Wiz Khalifa, Diplo and 3 Doors Down. Throughout the lead-up to the festival, The War On Drugs were regularly referred to across social media as Wallen's all-time favorite band.

It's not the first time Wallen has paid tribute to an indie group that would otherwise feel largely disconnected to country music. In 2024, the country titan recorded a stellar cover of Nothing But Thieves’ haunting anthem, ‘Graveyard Whistling’, during his evocative Abbey Road Studio sessions, captured at the iconic UK studio.

With Wallen doubling down on his keenness to weave in a plethora of genres and stylistic flourishes into his music, it seems he may even one day depart country entirely. As one of the most popular artists on the planet - and Billboard's Top Artist of 2025 - the world is Wallen's oyster. He has expressed an interest in releasing a secret House project under a new moniker, as well as teasing his long-rumoured collaboration with Toronto rap megastar, Drake, in recent months.

These left-field forays and sonic experiments will no doubt draw flak from some in the country community, who would prefer their artists remain within the boundaries that have historically been set for the genre. But if there's one thing we know about Wallen, it's that he's never had much time for restrictive rules and regulations - and we think his outward-facing, genre-fusing sound is healthy for the space.

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