HILLSIDE OUTLAWS KICK OFF NEW YEAR BY SAYING “SO LONG” WITH NEW SINGLE
Since bursting onto the Canadian country scene, Hillside Outlaws have carved out a space with their signature blend of modern melodicism and classic heartbreak. Now, the Penticton-based duo is kicking off 2025 with their latest single, “So Long”, a deeply personal and emotionally charged track that explores the bittersweet journey of letting go.
Co-written with JUNO-nominated producer Jeff Johnson, “So Long” marks new territory for Louis Bigras and Langley Jackson, offering a vulnerable side to their high-energy sound. With a growing fan base, multiple BCCMA Award nominations, and a signing with Royalty Records, the Outlaws are proving they’re a force to be reckoned with in Canadian country music.
We caught up with Hillside Outlaws to talk about the inspiration behind “So Long,” their journey so far, and what’s next for the dynamic duo.
First off, what have you been up to since we last spoke?
We have been steady at recording and releasing music. We signed a record deal with Royalty Records in 2023. So long is our 5th release with the label which includes our very first Christmas song which we released that same year. We also signed with Fame Group Agency, owned and operated by industry veteran Carla Hackman, which significantly changed the level of shows we have been able to play. We have opened up for some great artists including Aaron Pritchett, Doc Walker, Steven Lee Olson, and Hailey Benedict as well as landing some large festival headliner spots including Ponoka Stampede this coming summer.
We have also spent time in Nashville writing new songs as well as being in the studio with Jeff Johnson developing a new sound.
“So Long” feels like a departure from your usual party anthems. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this more vulnerable track and how it came to life?
During our 2023 trip to Nashville, Jeff and I wrote many songs with some of Nashville’s top writers. One of these songs, Didn’t Have Dirt, became our debut single with Royalty Records later that year. While it is still very much a party song it became the first step in a metamorphosis of our sound. We began experimenting with a grittier edge sonically and digging a little deeper with lyrical content and meaning.
We wrote So Long with a very accomplished writer, Phil Barton, at Liz Rose Publishing. Combining Phil’s talents with an experience familiar to both Jeff and I were able to capture the bittersweetness of accepting the end of a relationship and finding a way to move forward in life. It’s a story that, for me, was long in the past and buried under years of suppression and avoidance but, for Jeff, was quite recent and still fresh. Connecting on this experience we realized that others out there could connect with it too.
Songs like this require the right timing and a little bit of lightning in a bottle and after the song was written we were so excited that in the following days, we went to Saxman Studio in Nashville and recorded a demo using some of Nashville’s top session musicians. This demo became the foundation of the studio recording which we later finished at Jeff’s studio back in Canada.
We didn’t release the song right away, however. As you’ve mentioned it’s a bit of a departure from what we normally release and I wasn’t sure if I personally was ready to share this story with the world. In the Fall of 2023, we did an acoustic tour across Canada leading up to the CCMA awards in Hamilton and we decided to put So Long to the test. We performed it live in intimate settings and the feedback was phenomenal. By the summer of 2024, it was clear that this song needed to be heard and we dug in at the studio and finished it. I went back several times to recut the vocals as I wanted them to be just right. This may be the most vulnerable song we’ve ever put out but I think its authenticity will resonate with listeners all over the world.
Working with Jeff Johnson on this single must have been exciting. How did that collaboration shape the song, and what was it like working with such an accomplished producer?
We have been working with Jeff since 2018 and in that time we have become good friends. We also have written many songs together. Many of these have been our typical party songs but we also have dug in and written some from the heart. You really get a chance to know someone while creating music as everything is exposed in a writing room. Jeff has a masterful way of finding melodies and captivating hooks. His experience as a writer really shows when it’s time to get after a song. Being a songwriter who is also a genius producer, Jeff is able to envision a song in its finished form as it’s still being created. It’s always amazing to see how excited he gets when he’s working on something that inspires him. Jeff really has a passion for music and that passion always brings out the best in me.
In the studio, Jeff always has a way of pulling out the best performance in me. Sometimes that’s with tough love and sometimes it’s with sheer excitement and his belief in the project we’re working on. Jeff has a great intuition for what sounds new and fresh so when he gets excited, I get excited. We have created some of my favourite songs together and I have tremendous gratitude that he is a part of this journey.
Since forming in 2018, you’ve gained a strong fan base and achieved significant milestones, like signing with Royalty Records. What have been some of the most pivotal moments in your journey so far?
The biggest thing for us is always the fans. Everyday people that spend their time and hard-earned money experiencing music with us. We’ve had a few shows sell out which is extremely humbling to know people came specifically to see us. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of people singing along to our original songs and there really is no better feeling than knowing your music is a part of someone’s life.
Last year we performed an inclusive concert for people with diverse abilities which generally prevent them from attending conventional concert settings. People on the autism spectrum or with down syndrome can sometimes be excluded from large gathering concert events due to many factors however a local program in our hometown put on a concert exclusively designed to accommodate the needs of every individual. With over 300 individuals in attendance from all over the region and over $10,000 raised for the organization, this show was an absolute honour to perform at. Music is for everyone and as far as milestones and memories go this show will forever hold a place in my heart at the top of the list. We hope to do more with this organization and hopefully help to bring this concept to more places across the country.