New Music: Sister Country Duo Walker County

Good music news out of Nashville: On April 12, sister country duo Walker County celebrated the release of their highly anticipated full-length album, Painted Ponies. Nearly a decade in the making, the new 11-track record features previously released singles “Double-Wide World” and “Hits Home.” A walk on the independent-label side, Painted Ponies finds sisters Ivy and Sophie being vulnerable and showing their most authentic sides as they take listeners on a journey through their own deeply personal stories.

Produced by longtime collaborator, co-writer, and friend Paul Sikes (Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, Lorrie Morgan), the record was preceded by last year’s No Smoke and Mirrors EP, which was praised by Billboard for its “ultra-country enunciations within well-crafted, two-part harmonies.” The new album ranges from the true country relationship tune “20%” to the title-track ballad “Painted Ponies.”

Having opened for acts such as Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Martina McBride, Old Dominion, and more, Walker County has millions of streams accumulated across tracks like “Bits & Pieces” and “Drag It Out” and over 1.7 million likes on their TikTok videos.

All impressive stats that are bound to surge with the release of the new record.

“To say we are proud of our debut album, Painted Ponies, would be an understatement,” the gals said. “We have almost 10 years of love and lyrics poured into this project. We are so excited to share with the world these songs we have loved for so long. We hope y’all love it as much as we do.”

And we do. We loved it so much, we wanted to talk to Ivy and Sophie to find out more about them and their passion project ahead of their appearance at this year’s CMA Fest on the Hard Rock Stage on June 8.

Ivy and Sophie made waves on the 2024 CMT Awards red carpet (PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy Walker County).

Cowboys & Indians: Your press materials say “Inspired by the American heartland, Walker County’s music touches roots to the part of the country they grew up in.” Where did you grow up and what was it like? What were you like?
Walker County: We grew up in a little town in Indiana called Sulphur Springs. It’s a town of 390 people. We lived on the Walker family farm, surrounded by cousins who only lived a field away from us. Our mom was a hairdresser and basically did our whole town's hair, so we knew everyone growing up. Our hometown is a huge part of our story, and they have always been the biggest supporters of our music.

C&I: When and how did you start making music together?
Walker County: We started playing music together with our dad when we were 9 and 12 years old. Our dad loved music so much, and when he saw that Sophie and I were interested in it, he nurtured that. We took a family trip to Nashville in 2007, and we decided to busk on Broadway right on 4th and Broadway. It looked a little different back then. We made about 10 dollars that first go-round, and we remember dad saying, “Let’s go home, learn an hour’s worth of songs, and come back down to Nashville. And you girls can keep whatever we make.” Sophie and I did just that, and then the shows just came rolling in and music became our lives after that moment.

C&I: Any issues with sibling rivalry? How do your egos and personalities play together?
Walker County: Starting out playing music so young together we became each other’s best friends. We would go to these gigs as little girls and just have each other to hang out with. We luckily have very few disagreements when it comes to music. We both love to make the same type of music and have always had an organic flow when it comes to performing. The main thing we fight over is clothes!

Ivy and Sophie have fun while getting ready for the 2024 CMT Awards red carpet (PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy Walker County).

C&I: Talk about the title track, “Painted Ponies.” How did that song come into being?
Walker County: We wrote “Painted Ponies” all the way back in 2015. When we were creating this record with our co-writer and producer, Paul Sikes, we sat around our living room listening to the list of songs we had written together throughout the years. We only had a guitar vocal of this song at the time, but from those first chords we knew we had to put this one on the record. We decided to make it the title track because it aligned so perfectly with our journey here in Nashville, spinning round and round on a carousel wanting so badly to ride off into the sunset. We thought the song sounded like the ending of a movie. We could see the credits rolling as the song ended.

C&I: What are some favorite stories about making an indie record?
Walker County: Making this record independently has been so freeing! We have had so much fun, and it’s been amazing making the music we’ve always wanted to with no restrictions. We had so many good times making this record. Our favorite thing to do after a long day of recording is to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Rosepepper, and get margaritas. We all love to laugh, and the whole time we made this record we were cracking jokes.

C&I: This record includes the previously released “Double-Wide World.” Great beat, great lyrics. I imagine your storytelling comes from a real place. …
Walker County: We write lots of songs about our small town (all very heartfelt), but we hadn’t written a song that shows our sense of humor until “Double-Wide World.” Our mom did almost the entire town's hair, so we always had an in on the small-town gossip. Although “Double-Wide World” is definitely exaggerated, it all stems from very real stories.

C&I: What about your songwriting process? Who does what? Melody or lyrics first? Do you write on guitar or piano?
Walker County: Ivy and I always write together. I don’t think we’ve ever written without one another. Our bond and vision for our music are very strong. Ivy always writes on guitar, and the rhythm of the song is always something I’m thinking up in the room! As far as melody or lyrics, it really just depends on the day. Sometimes we will go in with a great title idea, and some days we just play around and see what strikes us!

C&I: Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
Walker County: Our dad was a huge music fan. It didn’t matter the genre or person, if it was good music, it was playing on 11 in the Walker house. A few of those would have to be Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakam, John Prine, The Chicks, and Emmylou Harris. All amazing songwriters that truly inspired us and the music we make.

Album cover  of Walker County’s Painted Ponies (PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy Walker County).

C&I: What/who are you listening to now?
Walker County: We have been obsessed with the new Kacey Musgraves album and have recently had the Chappell Roan record The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess on repeat.

C&I: What are your hopes for your new record?
Walker County: We want this record to reach music lovers. The ones who sit and listen to the lyrics of the songs and love that traditional country music feel. We poured our hearts into this record, and we hope people can hear that!

C&I: We don’t want a fight to break out, but can we talk about clothes? Your outfits always complement each other so well. Tell us about your style.
Walker County: We have always had a passion for the glam/fashion side that comes with playing music. Expressing ourselves and music through our clothing is something we love to do. When we have an event to go to, Sophie and I love to sit down and create vision boards for our looks. We luckily have very similar taste in fashion, so finding looks is pretty easy. We have our go-to stores we like to browse and can usually find unique pieces that make us feel confident. We grew up with a hairdresser for a mother, so most of the hair and makeup you see us in is all us!

C&I: What was the inspiration behind your looks at the recent CMT Awards?
Walker County: We released our debut album, Painted Ponies, April 12th, and we took inspiration from our album cover for this year’s CMT Awards looks. The cover of the album is us in front of a beautiful blue sky, with Painted Ponies in this pretty baby pink. When we saw these pieces, they immediately gave us the feel of the music on the album and the album cover. The beautiful baby pink covered in teardrops screams country to us! We also loved that we were matching but also showing off our individual styles.

Ivy and Sophie stun on the red carpet of the 2024 CMT Awards (PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy Getty Images).

C&I: What are some of your go-to brands?
Walker County: We are both wearing pieces from Nasty Gal. Ivy’s shoes are from Akira and mine (Sophie) are Steve Madden. Most of our jewelry is vintage or passed down from our mom and grandma. We love wearing pieces that have meaning to us and our family. And, of course, our looks wouldn’t be complete without our tattoos! We have to give credit where credit is due — our artist is Sean Drennan, and he is amazing!

C&I: When you're not on the red carpet or otherwise glamming it up, what’s the default?
Walker County: Some may be totally surprised to find that if we aren’t glammed, you’d most likely find us in some athletic wear! We love being comfy but also stylish, so our go-to is Fabletics. We also love a good vintage band tee, so Ivy and I hit up thrift shops quite often. We love finding unique pieces that show off our personalities.

Painted Ponies Tracklist

*All songs written by Paul Sikes, Sophie Walker, and Ivy Walker

1. “20%”
2. “The Thing About Fences”
3. “Hits Home”
4. “Settling’s for Dust”
5. “Double-Wide World”
6. “Small Pond”
7. “Skeletons”
8. “What You Don’t Get”
9. “Handwritten”
10. “Two Birds”
11. “Painted Ponies”

Keep up with Walker County on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and their official website.

Stream/purchase Painted Ponies HERE.