"Wastin' Whiskey" is a song recorded by Canadian country group

James Barker Band The James Barker Band is a Canadian country group formed in Woodville, Ontario, in 2015. The band consists of James Barker, Taylor Abram, Connor Stephen, and Bobby Martin. In Canada, they have four number one country singles with "Chills (James Ba ...

. The group's frontman James Barker wrote the song with Jared Keim and Travis Wood, while

Todd Clark Pilot Speed (formerly known as Pilate) was a Canadian rock band, who were active in the early 2000s.Gerry Krochak, "Pilate strives for sincerity". ''Regina Leader-Post'', October 23, 2003. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band consisted of vocalis ...

produced the track.

Background

The band previewed "Wastin' Whiskey" on multiple social media platforms including Twitter and TikTok prior to its release. They also promoted the release of the track with a video titled "Wastin' Whiskey Roulette" where each of the band members took sips of unknown liquids out of

shot glasses A shot glass is a glass originally designed to hold or measure spirits or liquor, which is either imbibed straight from the glass ("a shot") or poured into a cocktail ("a drink"). An alcoholic beverage served in a shot glass and typically cons ...

. The song is part of a large crop of new music the band intended to release as a potential album including "

Over All Over Again "Over All Over Again" is a song recorded by Canadian country group James Barker Band. The song was co-written by the band's frontman James Barker, along with Gavin Slate, Travis Wood, and producer Todd Clark. It was their first single released a ...

" and "

New Old Trucks "New Old Trucks" is a song recorded by Canadian country music, country group James Barker Band and American country singer Dierks Bentley. The song was co-written by the band's lead singer and guitarist James Barker along with Casey Brown, Jordan ...

". James Barker cited the song as the group's first "fan-driven" single, as the initial clip of the song that the band posted to TikTok quickly received over one million views in under a month, prompting the band to choose it as their next release to radio. He said that the song "came together in just a few hours – everything from the lyrics to production" and that most of the original vocals are the ones on the final version of the track.

Critical reception

Nanci Dagg of ''Canadian Beats Media'' stated that the song "takes listeners back to the all-too-relatable agony of not being able to get over a broken heart, regardless of how many drinks you down," noting "heartbreak-fuelled electric guitar licks and Barker's smooth vocals". Lauren Lee of ''Front Porch Music'' favourably reviewed the track, saying that the band "perfectly apturesthat oh-so-relatable feeling of desperation that comes with the end of a relationship – the inability to move on, no matter how deeply you try to drown your sorrows".

Accolades

Commercial performance

"Wastin' Whiskey" reached a peak of number two on the ''Billboard'' Canada Country chart for the week of August 27, 2022, marking the band's tenth top ten hit.Canada Country peaks: *Before December 1, 2021: *"Wastin' Whiskey": It also reached a peak of number 67 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

for the same week. It has been certified Gold by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2022 songs 2022 singles James Barker Band songs Starseed Records singles Songs written by James Barker (singer) Songs written by Travis Wood (songwriter) Song recordings produced by Todd Clark Songs about alcohol