MACKENZIE CARPENTER FT MIDLAND - I Wish You Would - The Valory Music Co.

Following last months “Dozen Red Flags” and the simultaneous announcement of her debut album Hey Country Queen (due out 3/7/25), country music songstress Mackenzie Carpenter now teams with Grammy-nominated trio Midland for what she honors as a dream collaboration.

“I Wish You Would” is available now on all streaming and digital platforms via The Valory Music Co.

Co-written by Carpenter, Jonathan Hutcherson, Jamie Moore and Chris Tompkins, the song carries a dusty barstool vibe that instantly transports your senses to the classic country sound of the 1970’s, a pure country gold that matches the familiar brush of Midland’s signature feels while being an intriguing departure from Mackenize’s.

"‘I Wish You Would’ is a fun, flirty tune about wanting someone to be more forward, quit guessing and make the first move. It’s about craving a spark with someone and longing for more than a few glances with that person you've noticed from across the bar,” shares Carpenter.

Flowing back and forth between lines in each of the verses not only offers a true duet feel, recalling the era of the mentioned Kenny and Dolly (“Just killed a karaoke Kenny and Dolly duet”), but craftily presents the male and female perspectives with a showing of his timidness in jumping headfirst into making the first move and her yearning for him to make it.

Setting the flirtatious, late-night scene with lines such as “We’ve been drinking but we ain’t drunk yet,” “You wanna tip the band to play one more and take me out on that sawdust floor,” and “It’s getting close to closing time,” fuels proper urgency into their otherwise suaveness to encapsulate the it’s now or never, time’s slipping away notion that the chorus then presents.

“I wish I wish I wish you would

Keep leaning in and looking good

I can see it on your lips

This tequila wants a kiss

I wish I wish I wish you would”

Swarmed with an influx of twang, tradition, and emotionally tweaked vocals that secure the overall essence and rapid heartbeat of the lyrics, “I Wish You Would” highlights the defining characteristics of each individual artist that makes the song come alive while boldly showcasing Carpenter’s willingness to consistently swerve predictable norms into something fresh and different.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis/Artwork c/o The Valory Music Co.)