The Shires
Polished, harmony-drenched country pop that bridges the gap between Nashville storytelling and British sensibility. Bright, earnest, and built for the open road.
Polished, harmony-drenched country pop that bridges the gap between Nashville storytelling and British sensibility. Bright, earnest, and built for the open road.
The Shires deliver a sound that feels like a warm embrace from a long-lost friend. It is music rooted in the traditions of Nashville, yet it carries a distinctively British heart. Their songs are built on a foundation of shimmering acoustic guitars and elegant piano melodies, all serving as a backdrop for the impeccable vocal chemistry between Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes. There is a radiant, sun-drenched quality to their production that makes even their more melancholic tracks feel hopeful and expansive.
What truly sets them apart is the way they navigate the 'country' label without ever feeling like a caricature. Instead of forced Americana tropes, they lean into the emotional honesty of the genre, using their voices to create intricate, interlocking harmonies that feel both technically precise and deeply felt. It is the sound of the English countryside dreaming of Tennessee, resulting in a polished, radio-ready aesthetic that prioritizes melody and narrative above all else.
For those new to the duo, their debut album Brave is the essential starting point. It captures the initial spark of their collaboration and features the anthems that defined their rise. It is the perfect soundtrack for a long drive or a quiet Sunday morning, offering a blend of high-energy pop-country and intimate, stripped-back ballads that showcase their range and sincerity.
The Shires are a British country music duo composed of singer-songwriters Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes. Earle sings harmony vocals, plays piano and guitar, and Rhodes is lead singer. The duo formed in 2013 and released their debut album Brave in 2015, becoming the first British country act to chart in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. The group's second album, My Universe, became the fastest-selling British country album in history when it was released in October 2016. They hail from the neighbouring counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in England. "Shire" is the original term for what is usually known as a county in the United Kingdom. The duo took the band name to maintain a British identity and take a small part of Britain to the United States. After playing hardly half a dozen shows together, The Shires caught the attention of Decca Records, who signed them in the United Kingdom, and they secured a contract with American record label Universal Music Group Nashville, thus becoming the first English country act to be signed to a major Nashville label. They were also the first British country act to have a top ten album and the first to receive an award from the American Country Music Association. Earle and Rhodes were awarded Honorary Doctorates of the Arts by the University of Bedfordshire for their services and contributions to music on 25 July 2019.
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