Koe Wetzel is back at country radio with “Hurts Like You,” the lead single from his upcoming sixth studio album, The Night Champion, out June 12 via Columbia Records. The track follows the massive success of his Double-Platinum hit “High Road” featuring Jessie Murph, which spent five consecutive weeks at No. 1 and finished as country radio’s most-played song of 2025.
Written by Wetzel, Ashley Gorley, Steph Jones, Carrie K, and producer Gabe Simon, “Hurts Like You” leans into the darker side of relationships. A hard-edged, alt-rock groove underpins lyrics about a toxic connection you can’t quit: “I’ll walk through fire / If it burns like you… I can take the pain if it hurts like you.”
Wetzel says the song arrived early in the album process and taps into a familiar pattern. “It’s kind of about a toxic relationship; whenever you get into those situations, you know it’s not good for you, but there’s just something about it that keeps bringing you back,” he says. “I feel like a lot of people go through that, so I hope people can relate.”
Critics are already reacting. VICE called “Hurts Like You” “an alt-rock revival,” praising the Texas-born singer’s blend of country and post-grunge and calling the track “relentlessly catchy, but it still has balls.”
Out June 12, The Night Champion picks up where Wetzel’s 9 Lives left off, charting his jump from bar gigs to headlining arenas and Red Rocks. Wetzel says the album reflects that evolution without losing the edge that built his fanbase. “You don’t go from kids playing for beer to headlining Red Rocks… and not shift,” he says. “My headspace is clearer now. I can look back, see how it all fits together.”
Some of that clarity comes from tightening his training routine, something he says he took more seriously after the birth of his child. Wetzel’s current hot streak started well before the tour bus rolled. On the Country Muscle podcast, the former college linebacker admitted he went back to basics to drop weight and feel like an athlete again. Trading late nights for sleep, junk food for cleaner meals, and adding daily gym sessions helped him shed 30 pounds, from 275 to 245. The real difference-maker, he says, was returning to old-school conditioning.
“This workout changed my whole outlook on fitness,” Wetzel explained to podcast host Jeff Tomko. “We hit our circuits, then run bleachers till we puke—and it’s made me better on stage every night.”
Wetzel will support the release with The Night Champion World Tour, hitting the U.S., Canada, and beyond with support from Shane Smith & The Saints, Ole 60, Wyatt Flores, Corey Kent, Wade Bowen, Bayker Blankenship, Kolby Cooper, and Logan Jahnke on select dates.
Tickets and info are available at KoeWetzelMusic.com.
The Koe Wetzel ‘Night Champion’ World Tour
– July 8: Edmonton, AB (Rogers Place)
– July 10: Penticton, BC (South Okanagan Event Center)
– July 11: Abbotsford, BC (Abbotsford Centre)
– July 23: Nampa, ID (Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater)
– July 24: Stateline, NV (Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic)
– July 25: Las Vegas, NV (The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)
– July 30: Airway Heights, WA (Northern Quest Casino)
– July 31: Bend, OR (Hayden Homes Amphitheater)
– Aug. 1: Tacoma, WA (Dune Peninsula)
– Aug. 6: Bonner Springs, KS (Azura Amphitheater)
– Aug. 7: Evansville, IN (Ford Center)
– Aug. 8: Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena)
– Aug. 12: New York, NY (Pier 17)
– Aug. 13: Reading, PA (Santander Arena)
– Aug. 14: Gilford, NH (BankNH Pavilion)
– Aug. 19: Boston, MA (Leader Bank Pavilion)
– Aug. 20: Washington, DC (The Anthem)
– Aug. 21: Pittsburgh, PA (Petersen Events Center)
– Aug. 26: Buffalo, NY (Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B)
– Aug. 27: Cleveland, OH (Wolstein Center)
– Aug. 28: Rochester Hills, MI (Meadow Brook Amphitheatre)
– Sept. 3: Austin, TX (Moody Center)
– Sept. 4: Baton Rouge, LA (Raising Cane’s River Center)
– Sept. 5: Bossier City, LA (Brookshire Grocery Arena)
– Sept. 10: Knoxville, TN (Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center)
– Sept. 11: Greensboro, NC (First Horizon Coliseum)
– Sept. 12: Wilmington, NC (Live Oak Bank Pavilion)
– Sept. 17: Alpharetta, GA (Ameris Bank Amphitheatre)
– Sept. 18: Columbia, SC (Colonial Life Arena)
– Sept. 19: Richmond, VA (Virginia Credit Union LIVE!)
– Sept. 24: Pikeville, KY (Appalachian Wireless Arena)
– Sept. 25: Huntsville, AL (The Orion Amphitheater)
– Sept. 26: Brandon, MS (Brandon Amphitheater)
– Sept. 30: Rogers, AR (The Walmart AMP)
– Oct. 1: North Little Rock, AR (Simmons Bank Arena)
– Oct. 2: Tulsa, OK (BOK Center)
– Oct. 3: Wichita, KS (INTRUST Bank Arena)
– Oct. 8: Chicago, IL (Salt Shed Fairgrounds)
– Oct. 9: Fishers, IN (Fishers Event Center)
– Oct. 10: Milwaukee, WI (Fiserv Forum)
– Oct. 28: Morrison, CO (Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
– Oct. 30: Lubbock, TX (Cook’s Garage)
Additional Live Shows
– May 30: Panama City Beach, FL (Gulf Coast Jam)
– June 12: Del Mar, CA (San Diego County Fair)
– June 14: Santa Rosa, CA (Country Summer Music Festival)
– June 20: Lewisburg, WV (Wild Trails Festival)
– June 27: Ashland, NE (Country Drive Music Festival)
– July 3: Winnipeg, MB (Country Thunder Winnipeg)
– July 16: Eau Claire, WI (Country Jam USA)
– July 17: Manchester, IA (Delaware County Fair)
– Aug. 15: Montreal, QC (Lasso)
– Aug. 22: Lima, OH (Allen County Fair)
– Aug. 29: Lucknow, ON (Lucknow’s Music in the Fields)
– Oct. 16: Salt Lake City, UT (Red West Music Festival)
– Oct. 18: Tucson, AZ (Boots in the Park)
– Nov. 20: St. Petersburg, FL (St. Pete Country Fest)