HARDY Unveils Soulful, Gospel-Influenced Ballad To Open Genre-Spanning Collection

HARDY unveiled a soulful, gospel-influenced single after debuting the song live earlier this month.

The genre-blending hitmaker, 36, released "By God " on Friday (October 30). The official release arrives shortly after HARDY delivered the first-ever live performance an event supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He penned the reflective, deeply heartfelt and authentic country ballad with songwriters Zach Abend, Hunter Phelps.

"By God, by God/ By God what a rock we get to breathe on/ That highrise livin' ain't closer to Heaven/ Than feet in a river singing promise land songs/ Good Lord, good Lord/ Wouldn't catch me dead where the concrete lays/ My soul ain't after me climbing no ladder/ This country boy rather live somewhere made/ By God"

"By God" serves as the opening track of his 4-track EP, Sides, which expands on the singer-songwriter's "introductive odyssey," 'Man in The Box,' according to HARDY's record label. The new collection "unpacks four of the cornerstone genres of HARDY's artistry," the label states, offering everything "from masterful singer-songwriter acoustics to bravado-filled soul, charged-up country to buzzsaw grunge."

Sides Tracklist

1. By God [Michael Hardy, Zach Abend, Hunter Phelps]
2. Hell, featuring Blake Shelton [Michael Hardy, Zach Abend, Kyle Clark, Jeb Gipson]
3. King Of The Hill [Michael Hardy, Jordan Schmidt, Geoff Warburton]
4. Tommy Made The News [Michael Hardy, Rocky Block, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt]

Sides, follows "Man In The Box," "McArthur" (a star-studded collaboration featuring Tim McGraw, Eric Church and Morgan Wallen), Country! Country! and its deluxe edition, Country! Country! Country!, and more. Find Sides on iHeartRadio here.