Love and Theft

Country duo Love and Theft is known for its contemporary-leaning hits, including "Runaway" and "Angel Eyes," as well as the more organic sounding "Whiskey on My Breath" that reignited members' careers. They have a new six-song EP "Better Off" that they wrote and produced themselves. "This is the most authentic music we've made," Eric says. "We didn't write for a specific sound or project; we just wrote to have fun and be as creative as possible. I think people recognize authenticity, and this is probably the most real music we've ever put out." Most real doesn't equate to deepest, they say, but it does mean "coolest." That's a tall statement from the platinum-selling duo who has six Top 25 radio singles, including top radio gold recurrent No. 1 "Angel Eyes." The pair has more than 1 million followers on its social media accounts and has done everything from appearing on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to touring with Charlie Daniels on his final run and inspiring new music for Taylor Swift. For "Better Off," they pulled from their classic rock and gospel influences. Stephen and Eric leaned into the sounds of The Eagles, The Beatles, The Doobie Brothers, and The Gaither Vocal Band. They took risks experimenting with synthesizers and different instrumentation to create a distinct contemporary pop-rock and pop-country sound. The men co-wrote each of the six songs on the EP.