When Rascal Flatts releases their new EP, How They Remember You, on July 31, fans can expect to hear a throwback sound.
Flatts members Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney say the band has “piecemealed” together the new project — compiled during quarantine as a way to satiate fan appetite for new music — using songs they’ve collected over the years.
“Some of them really do hearken back to kind of the good old days, if you will, of Rascal Flatts sound, and it’s just really well written songs,” Joe Don shares in an interview with the band’s record label, Big Machine Label Group, pointing to current single “How They Remember You” as a strong example of that sound.
Jay adds that the songs were left over from previous projects and were updated during quarantine, calling the process “very therapeutic.” The Flatts’ guitarist also notes that what makes their sound is lead singer Gary LeVox‘s distinct voice, especially when it pairs with Jay and Joe Don’s harmonies.
“There’s a unique buzz and a blend that happens when the three of us sing together that you can’t manufacture. It either happens organically and naturally or it doesn’t,” Jay remarks, adding, “We’ve just always been driven by message in the song and in the music.”
The EP comes three years after the band’s previous album, Back to Us. The trio announced in January that they’re retiring after 20 years together.
How They Remember You will be released Friday.
By Cillea Houghton
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