JOSH ROSS - "Drink Things Through" - Universal Music Canada/MCA/CORE Records

Josh Ross doesn't seem particularly interested in lowering the volume. On “Drink Things Through,” the Canadian country star pushes his music toward its rockier edges, pairing gritty vocals with surging guitars and a chorus that feels made for a room full of raised glasses. The result is a spirited, fast-moving track about taking a breath before an argument turns ugly and choosing a drink, a conversation and a little perspective instead.

Released September 25, 2026, “Drink Things Through” arrives on the heels of Ross’ third consecutive CCMA Award for Single of the Year for “Hate How You Look” and gives him another opportunity to explore the country-rock sound that has become a defining part of his music. Produced by Matt Geroux in Nashville, the track favors energy over restraint, with a muscular arrangement that gives Ross plenty of room to unleash his powerhouse delivery.

The song's title captures one of its cleverest ideas. Instead of “thinking things through,” Ross suggests that some relationship problems might be easier to navigate after stepping away from the heat of the moment and sitting down over a couple of drinks. It's a deliberately imperfect solution, but that's part of its charm. The song isn't pretending that a barstool can solve every disagreement. It's recognizing the value of slowing down long enough to actually talk.

That premise gives the lyrics a familiar kind of romantic friction. The narrator appears to recognize that a confrontation is brewing, but rather than charging directly into it, he proposes a different route. The tension remains, yet the song refuses to become heavy. Its attitude is less about avoiding the problem than finding a way to approach it without making everything worse.

Musically, Ross and Geroux give that idea plenty of momentum. Electric guitars provide the track with a rock-driven backbone, while the country elements keep the song grounded in Ross' established sound. His voice is the connective tissue between the two worlds: rough around the edges, forceful when the arrangement expands and capable of carrying a hook with the kind of conviction that makes it easy to imagine thousands of fans singing along.

The writing credits add another interesting dimension. “Drink Things Through” brings together Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, lovelytheband's Mitchy Collins, Lazz Principato and Jeremy “Kinetics” Dussolliet, an eclectic group whose combined backgrounds help explain the song's hybrid character. For Ross, recording a song written by Kroeger carries particular significance; he has spoken openly about being a longtime Nickelback fan. The connection feels natural once the guitars kick in, but the song still sounds firmly connected to Ross' country identity.

Perhaps most tellingly, “Drink Things Through” had already spent time in front of an audience before its official release. Ross teased the song on social media and incorporated the unreleased track into his live shows, giving fans an opportunity to respond before it arrived on streaming services. That live-first approach suits a song whose greatest strength is its communal energy. Its appeal is immediate: this is a song meant to be felt in a crowded room, with the guitars turned up and the chorus coming back louder from the people singing along.

And that may be exactly what Ross wants from it. “Drink Things Through” isn't trying to reinvent country music or turn a relationship disagreement into a grand philosophical statement. It takes a recognizable problem, adds a clever twist, wraps it in muscular country-rock production and gives the listener a reason to have some fun with it.

The song ultimately works because Ross understands that a little levity can change the temperature of a difficult moment. “Drink Things Through” turns relationship tension into something rowdy, melodic and surprisingly warm, giving listeners a soundtrack for cooling off without losing the spark. It is country music with one foot in the barroom and the other on an arena stage, delivered with the kind of grit and momentum that makes the distance between the two disappear.

(Review Written By: Chad Carlson)