Zac Brown Band are offering fans a two-for-one special on new music, dropping a double shot of new tunes today (July 9).
The hit making country jam band has officially shared two brand new singles, “Out In The Middle” and “Old Love Song.”
Both co-written by Brown with Luke Combs, Ben Simonetti and Jonathan Singleton, the new tracks feature distinct flavors on opposing ends of ZBB’s country spectrum. But they don’t get anywhere near the electronic experimentalism the band sometimes dabbles with. First up is “Out In The Middle,” which arrives as a swampy country stomper with a Hank Jr. flavor. Brown says it’s a chest thumping anthem to life in the backwoods and everything it entails — which is a subject he knows by heart.
“It’s a tip of the hat to the people who live out in the middle of nowhere and they’re happy being there,” he explains. “People that live in the city often make fun of country people until they come out and experience it for themselves. Then they really get into it. There’s a reason that you stay out there.”
The band have been back in the studio lately, with their Instagram account noting how good it felt to be all together again after a long year apart. Along with “Out In the Middle,” the resulting work also includes the soulful sway of “Old Love Songs,” which name checks everyone from Tom Petty and Randy Travis to Al Green.
“This is all the songs that you fell in love to,” Brown says of the romantic standout. “It was like a puzzle trying to put together all the song titles we really love, and making that into a love song. I grew up listening to oldies — songs a lot older than I was. And this song has that feel to it.”
Each song would fit snuggly into the dynamic live shows Zac Brown Band has made their calling card, and soon fans will be able to enjoy those shows again. ZBB’s The Comeback Tour kicks off August 5 in Holmdel, New Jersey, with shows scheduled into October, and their current radio single is the unifying “Same Boat.”