Acclaimed Nashville Artist Jess Jocoy Returns with ‘Cul-de-Sac Kid’

ACCLAIMED SINGER- SONGWRITER
JESS JOCOY
RELEASES THIRD STUDIO ALBUM
CUL-DE-SAC KID
TODAY, OCTOBER 24

ALBUM RELEASE SHOW: THE BLUEBIRD CAFE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26

Above: ‘Cul-de-Sac Kid’ Album Artwork; Credit: Sam Wiseman

NASHVILLE, TN (October 24, 2025) — With the release of her third studio album, Cul-de-Sac Kid, out today, acclaimed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jess Jocoy continues to carve out her space in country music’s ever-expanding landscape. Known for crafting songs that speak to those navigating life’s in-between spaces, Jocoy has earned praise from American Songwriter for her “mournful effervescence” and No Depression for her “smooth blend of traditional country and folk sounds.”

STREAM CUL-DE-SAC KID HERE.

Spanning 11 tracks, Cul-de-Sac Kid blends cinematic storytelling with folk-infused introspection, shaped by more than a decade of loss, heartache, and self-discovery. Jocoy dubs her one-of-a-kind sound “cul-de-sac country,” weaving together northwestern and southeastern influences into something uniquely her own. 

The album’s lead single and title track “Cul-de-Sac Kid” received recognition from Taste of Country, American Songwriter, and AmericanaUK. With her signature sultry vocals. Jocoy poses a heartfelt question that has long lingered at the heart of her artist identity: “Does country even need a country song from a cul-de-sac kid like me?” Taste of Country exclusively revealed the track and its lyric video, praising, “Jess Jocoy aims to be as honest as Ashley McBryde…‘Cul-de-Sac Kid’ is a pretty good start. [Jocoy] is nothing if not authentic across this building ballad.”

After dedicating her life to country music, Jocoy is here to prove her songs belong to anyone, no matter where they come from. More than just another single, “Cul-de-Sac Kid” is Jocoy’s story to the core: honest, introspective, and deeply resonant in a genre that hasn’t always made room for voices like hers. “‘Cul-de-Sac Kid’ feels like a door opening,” she says. “I see what came before as memories rather than ghosts, and I look ahead to what’s to come as a hopeful light ready to break through.”

WATCH THE “CUL-DE-SAC KID” LYRIC VIDEO BELOW:

The album’s sophomore single, “You Sure Showed Me,” has all the makings of a sarcastic breakup ballad. It captures the moment when rose-colored glasses fall away and the bad times finally reveal themselves. Jocoy explains, “A lot of my past songs had been ‘sad’ songs so for a long time I’d tried to intentionally stray away from that scene. Sad songs are in now, though, so one day I figured, let’s just go for it. The saddest line I could think of was the chorus: if you didn’t love me anymore you could’ve just said it… The rest of the song unfolded, holding a bit of sarcasm, which I love; kind of a screw you. It’s a broken heart that doesn’t give away their power.”

WATCH THE “YOU SURE SHOWED ME” LYRIC VIDEO BELOW: 

In 2014, Jocoy moved to Nashville to study songwriting at Belmont University, still carrying the grief of losing her father the year before. That weight entangled itself within her music. Cul-de-Sac Kid offered her a moment to breathe. “This album is about coming to terms with who you are, where you’re from, and the taking of longer roads,” she shares. “I’m finally making peace with not quite fitting in — and leaning into that.”

Raised outside of Seattle with the Pacific Northwest as her backdrop, Jocoy’s introduction to country music came through her dad, who filled the car with the sounds of Alan Jackson and Shania Twain on the way to school. That early influence guided her own mission: to show that twangy guitars and raw, heartfelt lyrics have a place on suburban streets just as much as on southern backroads. Cul-de-Sac Kid brings that vision to life, capturing the journey in full.

Experience the entire journey as Jocoy celebrates the album’s release at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on Sunday, October 26. For details and ticket purchases, visit The Bluebird Cafe website here.

CUL-DE-SAC KID TRACKLISTING:
“I Could Live On That Alone”
“Above Ground”
“Cul-de-Sac Kid”
“Tearing Up Heaven”
“Neon Moon”
“Runaround”
“Every Good Cowboy”
“A Lifetime Only Lasts So Long”
“You Sure Showed Me”
“Echo In The Canyon”
“Gumweed”

Above: Jess Jocoy; Credit: Sam Wiseman

She concludes, “I hope listeners hear the sincerity in someone trying to bridge experience with imagination. Maybe they’ll find their own truth in these songs — whether they’re a cowboy, a stripper, a hopeless romantic, or someone watching their hometown get replaced by track housing and fast food chains. Maybe they’ve felt like an outsider in a place they wanted so badly to fit in. Maybe they grew up in a cul-de-sac like me.”

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