In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby unpack Ella Langley’s breakout country single “Choosin' Texas” and use it as a launchpad for a wide-ranging conversation about authenticity, songwriting, and what it means to grow up musically without losing your soul. What starts as a joke about surprise Midwest snowfall quickly turns into a thoughtful exploration of why this song feels different from so much of modern pop-country, and why that difference matters .

The hosts dig into Langley’s storytelling chops, her old-school sensibilities, and the emotional maturity behind a song that resists the usual breakup tropes. Instead of smashed windows and slashed tires, “Choosing Texas” offers something rarer: reflection, restraint, and the quiet devastation of watching someone make a choice you can’t stop. Joe and Toby break down how her voice, her writing, and her refusal to rely on heavy production tricks like autotune make the song feel raw, human, and deeply relatable.

From there, the episode expands into a bigger discussion about music, culture, and time. The guys talk about legacy artists, the importance of real voices, the dangers of AI-generated art, and why slowing down matters more than ever. Along the way, they share personal stories, music recommendations, and their own creative philosophies, connecting Langley’s work to everything from grunge to hip-hop to old folk songs about frogs going to court.

This is an episode about choice, growth, and what happens when artists stop chasing trends and start telling the truth.

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