The Hard Way is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb. It was primarily produced by Jack Riley, and released on September 26, 2025, via Atlantic Records. The album includes the singles "Quitter", "Medusa", and "Options", as well as the promotional singles "Hundred Mile High", "Fragile", and "The Hard Way". Whitcomb supported the album with his headlining "I've Got Options Tour" across the United States in the fall of 2025, and his headlining "The Hard Way Tour" in Australia and New Zealand in early 2026.
Background The album explores Whitcomb's battle with addiction at a young age, his recovery, and the mental health struggles that accompanied his journey getting sober. Whitcomb co-wrote every song on the album, with the majority of the songs being writing collaborations with Jack Riley, Cal Shapiro, and Nolan Sipe.
Critical reception Victoria Goodwin of Melodic Magazine called The Hard Way a "great first album". She described it as "raw", "vulnerable", and "hopeful", adding that it "[feels] like a journey through [Whitcomb's] mind or a roadmap for anyone who's had to fight to find themselves again."
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from Tidal. Cameron Whitcomb – vocals (all tracks), guitar (track 15) Mitch McCarthy – mixing Nathan Dantzler – mastering (1–6, 8) Randy Merrill – mastering (7) Cal Shapiro – background vocals (1–3, 8–10, 14), vocals (4) Jack Riley – background vocals (1, 3, 8–10, 14) Nolan Sipe – background vocals (1, 2, 8, 9) Shilo Preshyon – engineering (2) Gabe Gladstein – strings (3) Donald Whitcomb – vocals (11) Addie Levy – mandolin (14)
Charts + Chart performance for The Hard Way Chart (2025–2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 29 Australian Country Albums (ARIA) 4 Canadian Albums (Billboard) 12 US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard) 16 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 42
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications AUSCountryReferences for Australian Country Hot 50 peaks: "Quitter": "Medusa": "Options": "The Hard Way”: CANReferences for Canadian Hot 100 peaks: "Quitter": "Medusa": "Hundred Mile High": "Options": IRE NLD NOR NZHotReferences for NZ Hot peaks: "Hundred Mile High": "Options": "The Hard Way": SWE USRockPeaks on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart: "Medusa": "Hundred Mile High": "Options": "Quitter" 2024 23 33 — — — — — — ARIA: Gold MC: 2× Platinum "Medusa" 24 63 93 5 29 — 53 29 ARIA: Gold MC: Platinum "Options" 2025 31 66 — — — 17 — 34 MC: Gold "The Hard Way" 36 — — — — 35 — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released to that territory.
Promotional singles Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications CAN NZHot USRock "Hundred Mile High" 2025 88 10 33 MC: Gold "Fragile" — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Certifications
Release history +Release formats for The Hard Way Country Date Format Label Various September 26, 2025 CD Atlantic LP record Digital download Streaming
References