HARDY explains why his ‘dumb, goofy face’ is the cover of ‘COUNTRY! COUNTRY!’

HARDY‘s a minimalist when it comes to album covers.

For the front of Quit!!, his 2024 rock album, he simply used a bar napkin someone shoved in his tip jar years earlier. 

For his new COUNTRY! COUNTRY! record, it’s an orange background with a black-and-white picture of his face, encircled by a halo of stars, as if he were dazed. On either side, there’s a thought bubble with the title. 

So, what gives? 

“A lot of ideas got thrown around,” HARDY explains, “but I kind of like the quirkiness of the shot of me just sort of looking at the camera, like kind of smirking or just making my dumb, goofy face of like, ‘Here’s your country album.'”

But the self-deprecating star wants to make sure you know he didn’t mean anything by it.

“That didn’t come from frustration, but more of like, you know, I knew it was time to put out another country record. So, ‘Here you go!'”

Clearly the cover’s done its job, as the album’s first single, “Favorite Country Song,” is a top-20 hit, just as he prepares to launch THE COUNTRY! COUNTRY! TOUR! in February.