In a little over a week, country artist Dwight Yoakam is set to release his eighteenth studio album, Brighter Days. So far, three singles have been released of the album’s fourteen tracks, with the most recent being the love ballad “I’ll Pay the Price.”

While the name of the album suggests an optimistic tone, each of the released singles thus far have been rather somber. Yoakam’s track featuring Post Malone, “I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom),” contained lyrics like, “There’s nothing left here now but sadness / And the emptiness of all that’s gone,” which don’t exactly inspire thoughts of brighter days. 

Musically, “I’ll Pay the Price” is also quite the downer, with its slow tempo and Yoakam’s wavering voice. It is, however, in a major key, and the lyrics are a lot less dour. While they do suggest that a heartbreak occurred, there’s hope in the idea that Yoakam is willing to do whatever it takes to win his love’s trust and “pay the price” for what he did.

A music video is yet to be released, but who knows what Yoakam has in store for Better Days. You can listen to “I’ll Pay the Price” down below: