Mitchell Tenpenny drops brooding new break-up tune, ‘Can’t Go to Church’

Schmidt PRMitchell Tenpenny returns with a brooding, atmospheric new track called “Can’t Go to Church.” Despite the title, the singer says that the song’s subject matter comes from a real story — but it’s not about a loss of religious faith.

A Nashville native, Mitchell grew up going to a Christian school, and he says that he saw his school friends when he went to church, too. That became a problem once he went through a high school breakup.

“The girlfriend I had at the time broke up with me and the first thing you do at that age is try to avoid them. And I knew if I went to church, I would see her,” the singer says in a press release. “So I wrote this song, not because I didn’t believe in God and didn’t want to fellowship, I just didn’t want to see her. I said a prayer to God that ‘I will praise you, I just can’t walk in there anymore.’”

“Can’t Go to Church” follows singles like 2018’s “Drunk Me,” which was Mitchell’s first-ever #1 hit, and “Anything She Says,” a duet with Australian duo Seaforth. Mitchell wrote the new song with co-writers Jordan Schmidt and Matt Rogers.

Speaking of Seaforth, Mitchell just hit the road with the down-under duo for the second leg of his Anything She Says Tour, which also features opening act Adam Doleac.