The Singles Jukebox

And no one speculated on just which records she’s hiding…

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[7.25]

Thomas Inskeep: Pearce, on this bluesy slow burn, sings how she should hide both “the wine” and “every one of them records that turn me on,” among other things, because an irresistible ex is back in town. I mean, it sounds like a smart idea to me, especially hearing the way Pearce is clearly moved by said ex. This rising country star conveys a helluva lot with her smart, sultry voice, and makes “Hide the Wine” a seductive killer.
[8]

Ramzi Awn: “Hide the Wine” finds Carly Pearce singing a deceptively easy melody with flair. The punchy guitar riff would be right at home on a ’90s indie record, and Carly has a way of making the hook sound like something you’ve heard a million times before.       
[7]

Edward Okulicz: This song’s guitar is fantastically sour, perfect for a caution about backsliding with an ex. And the lyrics are just so perfect too — can’t remember if I’ve heard “two buck chuck” in a song before, but Pearce sings that, and so many other fine details, with accurate and all-too-relatable revulsion, but not one that suggests mistakes won’t be repeated. If Maren Morris goes for those EDM dollars full time, aspiring writers and co-writers should be pitching for Pearce’s next album immediately.
[8]

Will Adams: A benefit to hearing “Hide the Wine” is learning that there can exist a reaction to a former flame visiting town that isn’t total mortification. Instead, Carly Pearce opts for a coy smirk, a knowing subversion of the words she’s saying (hear how “turn up the lights/kill the mood” works just as well if sung as “turn down the lights/spark the mood”). The production could have been more adventurous to match this spirit; the most we get is the heavily chorused guitar riffs and backing vocals.
[6]

Katherine St Asaph: Better Shania pastiche than the actual Shania pastiches this year, with a brash, stumbling-across-the-bar guitar riff and piano stabs out of a Mutt Lange production job, and corny, bassy backing vocals directly out of “Nah!” Not to mention the scenario, so transparently implausible (hiding your records does precisely nothing in the Spotify age; hiding the wine’s pointless if he’s already at your house) and angst-free that it’s really just an excuse to revel in gleeful, campy lust. If anything, Pearce’s vocals are too polite for the job — the bridge, in particular, makes me wonder what Elle King would have done with this.
[7]

Iain Mew: The chaos of guitar grumbles and organ interjections is a perfect background for a compelling internal conflict. They’re like all of the different messages that she’s getting and/or trying to push away, and it makes sense when she responds by pushing responsibility out into the drink and music and everything else. It seems just as likely that she’s setting herself up to go ahead anyway while saying she’s done the best she can — she gets in the line about getting burned again and again first, after all. 
[7]

Alex Clifton: “It’s a dangerous thing, pouring alcohol on an old flame” is one of the best lines I’ve heard all year, and it’s wedged in there rather than being made the centrepiece of the song or beaten to death in the chorus. For that alone, it’s an [8].
[8]

Juan F. Carruyo: The ever-threatening menace of sex with your ex deserves extreme precautions, and it damn well deserves a song chronicling them. 
[7]