''X2C'' (pronounced "ex to see") is the debut extended play (EP) by American country music singer Sam Hunt, released on August 8, 2014, by MCA Nashville. Featuring his debut single, "

Leave the Night On "Leave the Night On" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Sam Hunt. It was released to country radio, by MCA Nashville on June 16, 2014 as the lead single from his debut studio album ''Montevallo'' (2014). The song ...

", and three other songs recorded for the album, the EP served as a preview for Hunt's then-forthcoming debut studio album ''

Montevallo Montevallo is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. A college town, it is the home of the University of Montevallo, a public liberal arts university with approximately 3,000 students. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city o ...

'' (2014). It debuted in the top five of the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Country Albums chart and the top 40 of the all-genre US ''Billboard'' 200. The album's title is derived from the title of the track "Ex to See" and is a play on the

homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...

"ecstasy".

Track listing

Critical and commercial reception

Critical reception

Alanna Conaway of '' Country Weekly'' gave the EP a highly positive A+ review, praising Hunt as both songwriter and vocalist. "The layers of detail in each song on ''X2C'' shows the brilliance in the minds of Sam and his producers," writes Conaway, "putting him on the cutting edge of the next wave of what’s to come." Jon Caramanica of '' The New York Times'' was somewhat more critical, highlighting the lack of country influences while also comparing Hunt to Drake. He described the record as "stylistically provocative" and a "fascinating, odd ..tug of war between muscle and heart."

Commercial reception

''X2C'' debuted at number five on the ''

'' Top Country Albums chart, the highest debut of the week on that chart, for the week of August 17, 2014. It also debuted at number 36 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 that same week. The album sold 8,000 units in its first week of release. As of February 2015, the EP has sold 31,000 units. All four tracks charted in the top 40 of the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart due to substantial digital downloads.

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control 2014 EPs Albums produced by Shane McAnally MCA Records EPs Sam Hunt EPs Albums produced by Zach Crowell