It’s been a few years since we’ve gotten new material from alt-country songwriter John R. Miller, though in the meantime he’s kept his listeners sated. In 2025 alone, he shared a deluxe version of his 2023 LP Heat Comes Down as well as a second installment of his Fireside Sessions live-recorded EP series. Likewise, although the single he’s sharing today hasn’t been released yet, it isn’t technically new—“A World Away” is a cover of the song by Miller’s friend Darrin Hacquard, who both plays in Miller’s band and features Miller in his band. It’s a work of homage to a fellow songwriter he looks up to as well as a pure expression of some of the darker, heavier sounds that populate Miller’s set of influences far beyond the realm of Americana.
“Darrin Hacquard has been one of my closest friends and mentors for years,” Miller shares of the story behind the cover. “His songwriting is next level, and I loved this song when we first recorded it for Darrin’s album Signs & Wonders. I wanted to record this song to get out of my comfort zone and try a new approach. I had an idea to take it in more of a guitar-heavy, wall-of-sound direction—I didn't know if it was going to work, but I really enjoyed doing that.”
While Miller’s distinct vocals immediately align the recording with his roots in country, the backing five-plus-minute instrumental opens with a gentle droning that the rest of the song unfolds atop. It almost sounds like a remix of a conventional country-rock tune by an artist who peddles in noise. Hear it for yourself below via a visualizer animated by Hayden Miles, or stream the track here.
