Songfacts®:

• "High Road" is a fiery duet between Koe Wetzel and country and pop hitmaker Jessie Murph. The song simmers with tension as their troubled relationship reaches a boiling point.
• Wetzel's exasperation is palpable. He's done with the endless fights, and his "high road" involves self-preservation. He'd rather get stoned and detach from the drama than get dragged back into the fray.
  
  Murph counters with a fierce resolve of her own. She won't stoop to his level, but she's no pushover either. Her "high road" hints at deeper frustrations; the late nights smelling of liquor and the constant infidelity are taking their toll.
• Wetzel co-wrote "High Road" with pop songwriter Amy Allen. This wasn't their first get-together: The duo previously collaborated on Wetzel's breakout single "Sweet Dreams." Wetzel, known for his unique blend of country, alternative rock and Americana, admitted that writing with Allen presented a new challenge.
  
  "She does a lot more pop music, and it's something that I'm not really used to," he told Billboard. "Working with somebody that's in the pop world."
• The man behind the boards, Gabe Simon, joined forces with Wetzel's guitarist Josh Serrato for the production. Rounding out the production team are Carrie K, who previously worked on Pvris' Evergreen album, and Ben Maddahi, the Senior Vice-President of A&R at Columbia Records.
  
  Gabe Simon boasts an impressive resumé. He crafted Jessie Murph's hit single "Pray" and is also known for his work with Lana Del Rey on Blue Banisters, including the title track and co-producing Noah Kahan's entire Stick Season album.
• Wetzel released "High Road" as the second single from 9 Lives. While his past albums embraced the wild side with anthems of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, 9 Lives explores new territory lyrically.
  
  "I want fans to know that there's a different side of me," said Wetzel. "I've grown up a little bit. I'm no longer the 20-year-old kid that's partying down and getting thrown in jail all the time. 9 Lives reveals a vulnerable side that people may not be used to hearing."
• As a token of appreciation for her contribution to this song, Wetzel gifted Murph a custom-engraved pistol. The piece, which took three months to create, incorporates their names and the song title. "I thought it was a very Texas thing to do," he told Billboard.
• One of the key parts of Gabe Simon's songwriting process is simply getting to know the artist by asking questions and gleaning any songworthy ideas from their answers, which worked especially well with Wetzel.
  
  "With Koe, everything that came out of his mouth was just the lyric to a song," Simon told the Off The Record podcast in 2026.
  
  After one particular conversation with Wetzel, Simon jotted down "High Road," because he thought it was a cool title and eventually brought the idea to Allen. But it all started with the willingness to pay attention.
  
  "I think one of the greatest gifts that we can give people is our undivided attention," he continued. "You can buy somebody a bottle of wine and not pay attention to them. But if you look at somebody and you really care, especially if they get so used to being looked through or looked at, you kind of want to get to their level and just kind of figure out what's going on. And Koe was just an open book. I don't think he realized he was as much of an open book as he is."