Stephen Wilson Jr. Releases Double Single ‘Yellow Brick Home’ And ‘Exorcisms On The Weekend’

Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. has released two new songs today, the double single ‘yellow brick home’ and ‘Exorcisms on the Weekend’.

The release lands as he prepares to bring his Gary The Torch Tour to the UK and Ireland, with a run of sold-out UK headline shows next week that includes a night at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. It also comes hot on the heels of a major milestone, with Stephen Wilson Jr. among the top nominees at the 60th Annual CMA Awards.

Speaking about the two new songs, Wilson Jr. explains that ‘yellow brick home’ is about choosing a life of familiar chaos over chasing money and modern riches.

“‘yellow brick home’ is the choosing and accepting a world where an existence of familiar chaos is seemingly more entertaining than the chase and catch of money & modern riches,” he says. “The real wealth being the fury of forces unknown & tagging along for the ride because that’s all this really is. ‘A real green sky is a real mean guy.’ and he can’t wait to meet him.”

Its companion, ‘Exorcisms on the Weekend’, brings a new character into his world. “‘Exorcisms on the Weekend’ introduces a misunderstood, small town anti-hero who doesn’t shy away from helping others in her own way,” he adds. “Wielding weapons of fearless faith & oppositional defiance to religious and worldly norms.”

Stephen Wilson Jr. recently earned four nominations at the 60th Annual CMA Awards, making him one of the year’s top nominees. He is up for Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for his single ‘Gary’, which he wrote alone and whose video he co-directed with Tim Cofield.

He is also nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year, marking a big step up from last November, when he earned his first CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year.

It has been a busy few months. Last month, Eddie Vedder joined him on stage for a duet of Temple of the Dog’s ‘Hunger Strike’, a moment Rolling Stone said “cemented his status as a grunge-country pioneer”.

He also marked the third anniversary of his debut double album søn of dad with ‘Cørnerman’, a deeply personal tribute to his father released on the eighth anniversary of his passing.

Over the summer he shared a string of new music, including the Miranda Lambert-assisted ‘Hardwired’, which Billboard hailed as an “ode to blue-collar workers of all stripes”, ‘Gary’ (Live From CMA Fest 2026), and ‘Preacher’s Kid’, which Rolling Stone named a Song You Need To Know.

Stephen Wilson Jr. will spend the rest of the year on the road across the US and Europe on his Gary The Torch Tour, which wraps up with two sold-out shows at The Truth in Nashville on 11 and 12 December. In 2027 he heads to Dave & Tim Riviera Maya in Mexico and Stagecoach in California.

Stephen Wilson Jr.’s Tour Dates:

Saturday 17 October 2026 – Castlebar, Ireland – TF Royal Theatre
Monday 19 October 2026 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow (sold out)
Tuesday 20 October 2026 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow (sold out)
Thursday 22 October 2026 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton (sold out)
Friday 23 October 2026 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building (sold out)
Sunday 25 October 2026 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse (sold out)
Tuesday 27 October 2026 – Paris, France – Le Trianon
Thursday 29 October 2026 – Zurich, Switzerland – Volkshaus
Friday 30 October 2026 – Cologne, Germany – Theater am Tanzbrunnen (sold out)
Sunday 1 November 2026 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) (sold out)
Tuesday 3 November 2026 – Copenhagen, Denmark – VEGA (sold out)
Wednesday 4 November 2026 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fållan (sold out)
Thursday 5 November 2026 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene (sold out)
20-22 November 2026 – St. Petersburg, FL – St. Pete Country Fest *
Saturday 21 November 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company (sold out)
Wednesday 2 December 2026 – Pittsburgh, PA – Citizens Live at The Wylie
Thursday 3 December 2026 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre (sold out)
Saturday 5 December 2026 – Cincinnati, OH – Andrew J Brady Music Center (sold out)
Wednesday 9 December 2026 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy (sold out)
Friday 11 December 2026 – Nashville, TN – The Truth (sold out)
Saturday 12 December 2026 – Nashville, TN – The Truth (sold out)
20-23 January 2027 – Cancun, Mexico – Dave & Tim Riviera Maya 2027
Saturday 24 April 2027 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach 2027

Wilson Jr.’s journey from the hollers of southern Indiana to Nashville has been a winding road with plenty of detours. Along the way he has been an Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing championship finalist, a scientist, and a lead guitarist and songwriter in an indie rock band.

In 2016 he ditched his laboratory 9-to-5 and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville, where his songwriting quickly made waves. That led to cuts from Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash, among others.

2023 proved to be his breakthrough year. He signed with Big Loud Records and released søn of dad, a genre-spanning set of 22 songs dedicated to his late father and released on the fifth anniversary of his passing.

In 2024 he made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, followed by performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic series and Later… with Jools Holland. He was also profiled in an extensive feature for CBS Saturday Morning.

A deluxe edition of søn of dad followed, featuring a moving interpretation of ‘Stand By Me’ that has been streamed tens of millions of times. He performed that song on last year’s CMA Awards broadcast, alongside ‘Took A Walk’ from the film The Long Walk with Shaboozey.

He closed out the year by debuting ‘Gary’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and the song has been climbing the country radio charts ever since. He has also picked up his first ACM Award, winning Visual Media of the Year for the video for ‘Cuckoo’.

In September he shared the stage with Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge Amphitheatre and with Brandi Carlile for three nights at Red Rocks, setting the scene for what promises to be a memorable run of UK and European dates.