Church sticks it with a country song

Church initially teased the release in a video sent directly to members of his Church Choir fan club. "I wanted you guys to hear from me first that a new single is about to hit the world," he said. "It's gonna be the tip of the spear for what's coming after, and it's a big spear. I believe it's the best we've ever been in our career."

The song goes live at 6 a.m. on Thursday.

"I try to put myself in the most uncomfortable situations," Church explained at the CRS "Chasing Creativity" keynote event earlier this year. "Making it hard, and making sure no one is mailing it in. That's always something we have to push ourselves to chase. For me, it's very elusive. With creativity, the harder you try and stress, the more it doesn't happen."

The new single offers a social commentary on the state of the world and provides a rallying cry for cities from Detroit to Baltimore and people from young military veterans to school teachers, culminating in an emphatic "Stick That In Your Country Song" as each chorus hits.

Church has unveiled several new songs in recent months, including "Never Break Heart" at the ACM Awards.