Twenty-five years after releasing her debut album, Catherine Britt’s ninth sees her exuding grit and self-determination. Recorded mostly in her Newcastle home, and produced by Britt alongside her husband Bradley Bergen, The Hardest Thing delves into the hardships and triumphs of Britt’s life, alongside broader storytelling from the seasoned Australian country artist. Song titles (and album openers) don’t come much more honest than “One Divorce, Two Kids & A Few Whiskies Ago,” while “A Little North of Sydney” chronicles her conflicted relationship with Newcastle. “You Don’t Love Here Anymore” unpacks the shattering reality of domestic abuse, also explored on the album’s title track, alongside a look at Britt’s relationships in her immediate family, and her own sobriety journey. It takes enormous strength to walk through those experiences—even more to come out thriving. After making two albums with Lachlan Bryan as The Pleasures since 2021’s Home Truths, Britt sounds positively reinvigorated here. Throughout, she also nails an impressive range of approaches, tipping her hat to Hank Williams on “Pay No Mind to Me,” chewing on bluesy country rock via the David Lee Murphy co-write “What I Want” and christening her “cowgirl era” on the centerpiece track of the same name. It’s as emotionally and musically textured as you’d expect from the country veteran who signed her first American record deal at 17.