After slaying with his 2016 album, Fort Worth's own Cody Jinks has signed a deal with a new label and will be putting out a new album in summer 2018.

Dubbed an "outlaw country singer" by Rolling Stone magazine, Jinks was once a headbanger who fronted a metal band called Unchecked Aggression. But he eventually returned to the country music on which he'd grown up in Haltom City. His 2016 album, I'm Not the Devil, reached No. 4 on Billboard's Country Albums chart and was hailed as one of the best country albums of 2016.

His Rounder Records debut is called Lifers, and is slated for release July 27. The first single, "Must Be the Whiskey," is due out on June 15.

Rounder Records president John Strohm had already been involved with Jinks' career when he became president of Rounder in 2017.

"I'm well aware of his immense talent, personal integrity, and work ethic," Strohm says in a release. "It's been my top priority since I started my job last fall to sign Cody, and I could not be more thrilled for Rounder and Concord Music to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible, groundbreaking artist."

Tom Whalley, chief label officer at Concord, calls Jinks "a very special, unique, one-of-a-kind artist" and "an abundantly gifted singer, songwriter, and performer."

Jinks has employed a unique marketing strategy that has helped him sell more than 225,000 independently-released recordings and consistently sell out shows all over the United States, propelling him to the forefront of the country music scene.

His recordings and raucous live shows have earned him a loyal and growing fan base (#Flockers) and have made him a favorite among critics. Saving Country Music declared "2018 will be the year of Cody Jinks in country."

Jinks' catalog, meanwhile, will be reissued by independent distribution and label services company Thirty Tigers.

Jinks' inaugural Loud and Heavy Fest will take place in Fort Worth in August; he's currently on tour and will remain so through the rest of the year.