Raised between the coasts of California and Florida, Ashley Cooke is an up-and-coming country artist who is bringing authentic and honest storytelling to her music. The singer/songwriter developed her love of country music as Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line quickly became the soundtrack of high school. Cooke followed her passion for music to Belmont University where she won the country Showcase, placing her in an elite class of winners that includes Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line and more.

In Aug. 2021, Cooke released her debut project Already Drank That Beer, featuring 8 tracks written by Cooke and many of Nashville’s hottest songwriters. The project includes fan-favorite “Never Til Now” as well as standout tracks “Good Goodbye” ft. Jimmie Allen and “Already Drank That Beer.” Produced by award-winner Jimmy Robbins, the debut project garnered critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, People, Taste of Country, Sounds Like Nashville, Country Now and more.

In 2021, Cooke hit the road on tour with fellow rising acts BRELAND and Spencer Crandall. Cooke gears up to release more new music in 2022 via Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music and continues to accompany Cole Swindell on his Down To The Bar Tour with additional dates to be announced soon.

Ben Burgess is the pride of East Dallas, a renaissance man with a golden pen. After landing his first career cut with Jonas Brothers’ “Chillin’ In the Summertime,” he packed up a blossoming career that was born on Austin's 6th Street to chase dreams in Los Angeles, but quickly relocated to Nashville shortly thereafter when his twang got a little too loud for the West Coast. Burgess started writing with Warner Chappell Music Publishing in 2015, where he stockpiled cuts including Morgan Wallen’s multi-week #1, 6X platinum smash “Whiskey Glasses,” Tyler Rich’s gold “The Difference,” Pat Green’s Texas radio #1 “Drinkin’ Days,” Lil Wayne’s “Dreams,” Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan’s platinum “There for You,” Dierks Bentley’s “My Religion,” HARDY’s “SIGNED, SOBER YOU,” and more. His tracks have landed TV placements on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and commercial spots for Major League Baseball, Xbox, and Lexus. Breaking out as an artist in his own right, Burgess signed to Big Loud Records in 2020, and in the same year, was featured on Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley’s buzzy Chapter 1: Snake Oil album on “Heartbreak.” He was featured on HIXTAPE: Vol. 2‘s “Red Dirt Clouds” alongside David Lee Murphy and Big Loud labelmate ERNEST. Burgess’ forthcoming debut album is slated to release this year, with first single “Tears the Size of Texas” out now.

Blame My Youth is Sean Van Vleet – a name you might not be aware of, but have unknowingly heard in your headphones, a store or on a television. As a former principal songwriter in indie faves Empires, Van Vleet expanded into the world of songwriting and syncs, providing music for major artists, ads and products worldwide. Blame My Youth is Van Vleet’s return to the band format with “Right Where You Belong,” appearing on the Bill & Ted Face the Music soundtrack and a debut EP due this Autumn via Big Loud Rock imprint.

A multiple JUNO and CCMA Award winning entertainer, Dallas Smith is one of the most celebrated artists in Canadian country music. Amassing 18 Canadian Gold-certified singles, four Canadian Gold-certified albums, and seven Canadian Platinum-certified singles along with more than 500 MILLION collective streams to date and 2 million global album equivalents. Smith is also the first and only Canadian country artist to have twelve #1 singles, including four consecutive chart-toppers from the same album, and closed out 2019 as the most played artist (domestic/international) at Canadian country radio for the year. Adding to the list of accolades, Smith is the sole Canadian country artist in the Nielsen BDS and Mediabase era to earn twelve #1 songs in history and have 23 consecutive singles peak in the Top 10 of the country airplay chart. Smith is the three-time CCMA Award winner for Entertainer of the Year (2019/2020/2021), continuing to set the bar high for Country music in all that he does. In 2021, Smith launched the Lifted Dallas Smith Charitable Foundation - a non-profit organization committed to ensuring that mental health services are accessible to anyone and everyone in need. Winner of four 2021 CCMA Awards (Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year), Smith announced the national headlining Some Things Never Change Tour for 2022 and most recently topped the radio charts with his 12th number one single “Hide From A Broken Heart”.

Nashville’s most unpredictable hit maker ERNEST is “The Charmer” (MusicRow), a triple threat talent and one of Music City’s on the rise artist/writers that’s changing the status quo. As a chart-topping songwriter, he fuses influences ranging from Eminem to George Jones, creating a twist-heavy verse style that’s become his signature, proving its mettle, and earning him five #1 hits to date. The eccentric free spirit launched his debut single to country radio “Flower Shops” feat. Morgan Wallen in January to 88 first week stations, the #1 most added single of the week, and was Top 25 after just six weeks. His debut full-length album of the same name - FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM) – is out now, showing off the more classically country side of his craft. ERNEST appeared alongside 90s country legend David Lee Murphy and labelmate Ben Burgess on HIXTAPE: Vol. 2 track “Red Dirt Clouds” last fall, and his podcast Just Being ERNEST is in its third season, hosting guests like Keith Urban, Diplo, Jason Aldean, Bobby Bones, and Craig Wiseman, with many more to come.

This Iowa-born, Nashville-based rising country star scored her breakthrough moment in 2020 with the release of her self-funded debut album THE DREAM, which was praised as "the year’s deepest country album" (The Washington Post) and went on to appear on more than 15 year-end best of lists including #1 on both Stereogum’s "10 Best Country Albums of 2020" and Garden & Gun’s "Best Southern Albums of 2020" list. The subsequent deluxe album LIVING THE DREAM found Whitters’ self-fulfilling THE DREAM’s prophecy and enlisting her friends and collaborators Brent Cobb, Jordan Davis, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Little Big Town, and Trisha Yearwood to appear on five new songs, leading NPR’s Fresh Air to call her “one of the most interesting voices in country music.” In 2021 alone, Whitters toured with Luke Combs and Midland, was named the inaugural Opry NextStage Artist of the year, scored her first CMT Music Award nomination for “Breakthrough Video of the Year” (“Fillin’ My Cup” feat. Little Big Town) and received her first GRAMMY nomination for Song of the Year for “A Beautiful Noise,” which was written by Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry and Hailey Whitters, and performed by Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile. Now boasting over 75 million streams across her catalog, Whitters will embark on her debut headline Heartland Tour this winter and released her highly anticipated second album RAISED on March 18, 2022 via Pigasus Records/Songs & Daughters/Big Loud Records.

Big Loud Records' heavy-hitter HARDY has never been just one thing. Uncaging a new chapter, HARDY soared to new heights with the release of the mockingbird & THE CROW, his critically acclaimed half-country, half-rock sophomore album, adding to over 2 billion career streams. The dichotomous, 17-track effort debuted top five all genre on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and kinged seven additional Billboard charts in its first week, including Top Country Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Album Sales. The pride of Philadelphia, Miss. has earned his reputation as “a promising purveyor of keeping the spirit of classic heavy Southern rock alive” (American Songwriter), “capable of writing the big hits for radio, obstinate enough to do something completely unexpected, and savvy enough to find the throughline for it all” (Rolling Stone). A three-time CMA Triple Play award recipient, HARDY is the reigning ACM Songwriter of the Year, the 2022 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year, and a two-time AIMP Songwriter of the Year. HARDY has written 12 #1 singles since 2018, including his own double platinum #1 single “ONE BEER” feat. Lauren Alaina + Devin Dawson, and chart-topping, platinum Dierks Bentley + BRELAND collaboration, “Beers On Me.” He's previously toured with Thomas Rhett, Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, and more, and is headlining a 19-date, nationwide, sold-out run now on the mockingbird & THE CROW Tour.

Empathy, community, and creative expression collide with JAGWAR TWIN, the near-supernatural alter-ego of singer, songwriter, producer, and storyteller Roy English. The songs are captivating and confessional in equal measure. JAGWAR TWIN provokes and inspires, adapting to rapidly evolving changes in culture with the speed and agility of the enduring “big cat” of the Americas, the jaguar.

English dissolves the imaginary barriers between artist and audience. As American Songwriter observed, “Jagwar Twin’s sound is built around the individual expression of universal experience.”

This attitude and ethos inform everything on Jagwar Twin’s ambitious sophomore album, 33. Otherworldly garage-rock guitars, grimy breakbeats, and vivid poetry combine with electro-pop flourish and soulful R&B into a unique style that’s broadly “alternative” and definitively Jagwar Twin.

Jagwar Twin’s debut album, Subject to Flooding, arrived in 2018, produced by S1 (Kanye West, Beyoncé, Lorde) and Linus (Twenty One Pilots, 5 Seconds Of Summer). Individualism anthem “Loser,” which premiered on The Zane Lowe Show, earned over 17.4 million streams on Spotify. Sports synch icon “Long Time Coming” and “Shine” were similarly transcendent, connecting with diverse listeners worldwide.

The arrival of 33, produced by Matthew Pauling (Twenty One Pilots, 5 Seconds Of Summer) and mixed by Jeff Ellis (Grandson, Frank Ocean, Doja Cat), coincides with the launch of the Jagwar Twin digital universe Hall of Mirrors. The culmination of a months-long Web3 campaign, it’s an immersive Web3 environment beaming with wonder and possibility, that rethinks the artist-fan equation. The album is driven by songs like ”Happy Face”, “It’s Your Time,” “Soul is a Star,” “Down to You,” and “The Circle.”

English channels the iconic showmanship of Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie and Bad-era Michael Jackson throughout the album.

Jagwar Twin originated with English’s self-discovery and ventures forward with encouragement to others to do the same work, to emphasize the things that unite us rather than what divides us. The hope is to enter a new era of authenticity, vulnerability, and tranquility and dance all the way there.

Jake Owen ascended to stardom with nine #1 smashes, six top-charting albums and multi-platinum hits, including genre staple “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” Known for his laid-back style of country, Owen’s latest album, GREETINGS FROM…JAKE (Big Loud Records) delivered three #1 hits – “Made For You,” “Homemade” and "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)" – and Top 5 smash “Down to the Honkytonk.” Praised by Billboard as a “country-grounded odyssey,” GREETINGS FROM…JAKE follows popular album AMERICAN LOVE, which debuted #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. His current single “Best Thing Since Backroads” is Top 20 at country radio now.

For La Porte, Texas native Jake Worthington, traditional country music has been ingrained in his DNA since childhood. Raised on his grandfather's porch performances of Ray Price, Merle Haggard, and George Jones, he soon picked up his own Gibson acoustic and realized the breadth of his soon-to-be-classic, wide, and wild voice. Now, Worthington breathes fresh life to dance halls, beer joints, and ballrooms from Texas to Tennessee with his just released 13-song, self-penned debut album, Jake Worthington. Captivating the masses with his honky-tonk stylings, the singer-songwriter has already started bringing two-step anthems to venues across the country, opening for Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Pat Green, Hank Williams Jr., ERNEST, and more, with headline dates on the horizon for 2023. Worthington is also a newly sought-after feature artist across the Nashville landscape, including guest spots on Hixtape: Vol. 2 with Ronnie Dunn and Jake Owen on the rowdy “Jonesin',” Ronnie Dunn's 2022 album 100 Proof Neon on “Honky Tonk Town” and ERNEST's 2023 extension FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM): Two Dozen Roses on “Heartache In My 100 Proof.” “I believe in country music as much as I believe in my next breath,” Worthington declares, and “blame it on my raising, but I think there ought to be room for country in country music.”

Blue-collar, Tennessee native Larry Fleet grew up with a love of music sparked by an eclectic mix of influences spanning Merle Haggard to Marvin Gaye. To make ends meet, he spent tireless hours working construction jobs – never losing sight of his dream to make music. A chance encounter with Jake Owen in 2017 led to a collaborative friendship and an opening slot on the road. Shortly thereafter, Fleet was sharing the stage with one of his heroes - Willie Nelson - and etching his mark in the Nashville songwriting community, co-writing with esteemed tunesmiths Rhett Akins, Brett James, and Kendell Marvel. The hard-working family man is turning heads now with full-length album, Stack of Records (Big Loud Records), produced by Joey Moi, the follow up to his aptly titled first project, Workin’ Hard. Breakout hit “Where I Find God” – a powerful ode to finding peace in a higher power’s presence – is featured on the new set, garnering Fleet praise for his “emotive vocals” (Billboard) and amassing over 22 million official music video views. Fleet is on the road now supporting Morgan Wallen's Dangerous Tour.

Grand Ole Opry member and multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter Lauren Alaina has earned three No. 1 hit singles in just under three years with her smash “Road Less Traveled” (2017), the now 7x Platinum “What Ifs” (2018) with her childhood friend and superstar Kane Brown (his first career No. 1), and “One Beer” (2020) with friend and rising star HARDY (also his first career No. 1). Alaina and her friend/Big Loud platinum-selling artist Chris Lane just released a duet “Dancin’ In The Moonlight.” Her No. 1 debuting album Sitting Pretty On Top of The World, which includes her singles single “Getting Over Him” featuring Jon Pardi, as well as her recently RIAA-certified Gold-selling “Getting Good.” Alaina, a best-selling and first-time author, released her inspirational book, Getting Good at Being You: Learning to Love Who God Made You to Be in December and was the #1 New Release on two of Amazon’s sales charts in its first week of release.

The Georgia native, who American Songwriter calls “a vibrant force of positivity in the world,” starred in her first Hallmark Channel movie “Roadhouse Romance” last year that premiered to rave reviews and became the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program of the day and week.

Alaina, who just wrapped her second career headlining tour, On Top Of The World Tour Presented By Maurices with multiple sell-outs, has also shared the stage with superstars including Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Martina McBride and Jason Aldean. Alaina sold out her own, first-ever headlining, That Girl Was Me Tour, and has performed on some of the highest-profile stages in the world including national television performances on PBS’s A Capitol Fourth, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, CBS reality series ‘Beyond The Edge’, TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, ABC’s CMA Fest specials, CMA and ACM Awards, Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime performance, MLB’s World Series national anthem (Game 5, 2021) and more including a performance at the White House for President Obama for a PBS special.

Drenched in authenticity and rife with barstool charm with an addictive, Tennessee limestone gravel in her voice, Nashville-born and bred songbird Lauren Watkins writes, breathes, and lives country music. The 23-year-old original grew up on the outskirts of Guitar Town, mesmerized by a jukebox rotation of country music, from outlaws like Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow to chart-toppers Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton. Moving back after four years at Ole Miss, Watkins' unyielding, turn on a dime lyricism quickly caught the attention of GRAMMY-nominated multi-hyphenate Nicolle Galyon, who signed her to publishing and recording contracts with Songs & Daughters / Big Loud Records almost instantly. Honing in on a sound that's both reverent of the genre's roots and in lockstep with where it's headed next, she's introducing her take on country music now with seven-song teaser set, Introducing: Lauren Watkins. Catch her touring the new music on the road all summer long at notable fairs and festivals including Carolina Country Fest, Biloxi Crawfish Boil, Nashville's CMA Fest, Faster Horses, Watershed Festival, TidalWave Music Festival, and more.

Letdown. (period included) may have started as a pandemic project for Blake Coddington, but the Chicago/Nashville-based rocker is in a very different place in 2023. Having spent the last three years cultivating a fervent fanbase through a number of single releases and emerging as a striking live act — finally bringing his music into the physical lives of his online fans across several sold-out, headlining shows this past year — Coddington is rapidly growing his presence away from the internet for the first time in Letdown.’s short history.

The powerful vocals and emotional lyrics over catchy, upbeat drums and guitars originally served as a cathartic way for the songwriter to express himself while working a dead-end job that he hated. But 2022 saw Letdown. being signed to Big Loud Rock and move beyond his beginnings as a viral, at-home musician. This year, however, represents a whole new start for the passionate vocalist, or as Coddington himself puts it: “It’s Season II of Letdown., and it’s definitely the biggest chapter yet.”

With his debut EP, Crying In The Shower, releasing February 24, 2023 and the ability to continue his touring success with an upcoming month-long run in Europe, as well as North American dates supporting Giovannie & The Hired Guns this spring, “Season II” is looking a lot more action-packed than Letdown.’s first couple of years. It was just three years ago that he began throwing videos on YouTube expecting to get a few hundred views, yet now he’s become a known and respected musical commodity both in-person and online with over 640K followers and 5.1M likes on TikTok, 25+ million views on his YouTube channel, over 80M on demand streams and editorial playlisting from the likes of Spotify’s All New Rock, New Noise, Rock Out and Rock Hard.

“I always feel weird when people ask me how long I’ve been around, because I got so used to telling people that Letdown. was this new thing,” Coddington laughs. “But now we’re touring and we’ve got a record coming out with a label involved and all of this stuff. I know I’m not ‘seasoned’ yet, but it feels new, exciting and different.”

As for the new EP itself, pushing forth a collection of seven songs is still a bit of a new experience for Coddington, who’s gotten this far by steadily releasing a single at a time. The title track and opener is a perfect example of the wild, emotional ride that Letdown. enjoys taking his fans on. The song builds into a pumped-up anthem that you can’t help but sing along to, and behind the reactive hook and catchy rhythm, Letdown. takes listeners through the experience and inner turmoil of trying to get over someone you can’t forget by wailing, “crying in the shower, but I can’t wash you away.”

“You ever listen to happy songs when you're upset or sad or depressed and they make you feel even worse?” Coddington asks with a smirk. “That’s what ‘Crying in the Shower’ is for me. It's like, ‘Here's a list of terrible things, set to an incredibly upbeat, happy beat’ — which is almost a metaphor for me. I’m a happy-looking guy who is quite the opposite on the inside.”

Elsewhere, the EP continues to document Coddington’s internal struggle as he searches for answers in times of darkness, uncertainty and self-doubt on stadium-sized singles “Go To Hell,” “Empty,” “Shipwreck” and “Ugly,” a soaring, pop-rock belter featuring Kelsy Karter & the Heroines that encompasses the types of thoughts related to selfimage and how we perceive ourselves. “That song is a literal depiction of how I feel about myself,” Coddington adds. “It may be a dichotomy between the actual person that I am and the person that I see in the mirror as my flaws are sometimes all I see. As I try to disassociate from the me that I hate, I also struggle with the reality that we are one and the same.”

In regards to the release of his first full body of music, Coddington remains thrilled for his future, the development of Letdown., and continuing to connect with those who have found solace in his powerful online community. “Getting to put out something like an EP seems so classic to me, which makes me really excited about it.” he says. “I’m honestly just excited that people won’t have to select another song after each one and can just ride the wave. I think we've really curated it in a way that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster — in the best way possible.”

Words like “groundbreaking” and “trailblazing” are often overused. But for Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music and Republic Records country star Lily Rose, they may actually be an understatement. The modern expression of country’s most treasured ideal – pure, unflinching honesty – her debut hit “Villain” has revealed Rose as a talent both 100-percent unique and utterly relatable, with a fresh perspective and forward looking sound. A Georgia native whose inspirations range from Bruce Springsteen to Keith Urban and Katy Perry, Rose broke out in 2020 with the viral smash, “Villain.” Both vulnerable and defiant with a boundary pushing country-meets-R&B sound, the track hit No. 1 on the iTunes all-genre chart and SiriusXM's The Highway Hot 30 Weekend Countdown, leading to her new, ten-song project, STRONGER THAN I AM. In 2022, Rose was nominated for ACM Best New Female Artist and recognized for Outstanding Breakthrough Artist at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards. With her focus firmly on integrity, Rose’s bold mix of personal lyricism and distinctive language meets the hooky sonics of a post-genre fanbase, as pure country confessions merge with hip hop beats and R&B flow – plus representation where there was none before. All told, it gives new credence to her “groundbreaking” label.

Canada-born, Nashville-based star MacKenzie Porter is rising to international acclaim with a distinct country-pop style. Building momentum with a six-week U.S. #1 in Dustin Lynch collaboration “Thinking 'Bout You,” Porter made her own mark simultaneously, releasing brand-new songs “Coming Soon To A Bar Near You,” “Pickup,” “Unlonely Me” and “Heaven Heard Me.” Her "mesmerizing vocals and hook-driven songs" (Billboard) continue to spark headline-worthy accolades, including her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in late 2021. The 2022 MusicRow Award winner for Discovery Artist of the Year is the only female with a nomination in the Favorite Country Song category for her Dustin Lynch collaboration at the upcoming 2022 American Music Awards and has earned three 2022 CCMA nominations + four 2021 CCMA nominations including Entertainer of the Year. She was also nominated for Country Album of the Year at the 2021 JUNO Awards. Making history, Porter is the first Canadian female artist this century to have five #1 songs at country radio. Porter also earned her first crossover Top 10 at Canadian pop radio – a first since 2003 for a Canadian country artist – with "These Days (Remix)," and joined CMT's elite Next Women of Country class of 2021. The triple threat previously starred in cult-followed sci-fi television series Travelers now on Netflix, and has opened for Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Walker Hayes, Jordan Davis, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, as well as labelmates Dallas Smith and Chris Lane.

Hailed by Billboard for making “his superstar arrival as a touring artist” in 2022, Morgan Wallen recently wrapped his 55-show Dangerous Tour with his first headlining stadium show at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX, which saw him shatter attendance records previously held by Elton John and Lady Gaga. Now, the ACM Male Artist of the Year who had record-setting shows in 30 venues across the country - with the only country tour nominated for Pollstar’s Major Tour of the Year – has embarked on a massive world tour. Spanning 29 stadium-plays across 5 countries and 3 continents, plus arenas, amphitheaters and festivals, Wallen’s 62-show One Night At A Time World Tour will deliver the man The New Yorker dubbed as “the most wanted man in country” to fans worldwide.

With over 18.2 billion on-demand streams and eight chart-toppers at Country radio, the East Tennessean recently became the first artist to have three singles simultaneously in the top-10 on country radio with "Last Night," "One Thing At A Time" and "Thought You Should Know" – as “Last Night” becomes Wallen’s fastest-climbing No. 1 to-date (with just 11 weeks) and the fastest-charting No. 1 since 2015, topping breakout hit "You Proof" which reached No. 1 after just 14 weeks and remained at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for a record-breaking ten non-consecutive weeks. On the heels of the unparalleled success of his 5x platinum, ACM Album of the Year, Dangerous: The Double Album (Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records) – which topped 2021's all-genre Billboard 200 Albums year-end chart and notched historical chart status as Billboard’s longest running Top 10 album in history for a solo artist (with 120 total weeks spent in the Top 10, eclipsing Adele’s 21 and Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA), Wallen’s 36-song deeply personal third studio album, One Thing At A Time, is available now, where it remains at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts for its 11th consecutive week. $3 from every U.S. ticket sold for the One Night At A Time World Tour benefits the Morgan Wallen Foundation.

With over 23 million collective streams to date, Vancouver singer-songwriter Shawn Austin has worked tirelessly to cement his place in the Canadian country music landscape. Nominated for CCMA “Rising Star” Award (2021 + 2019), Austin was a season two finalist on NBC’s Songland, pitching Florida Georgia Line as a contestant. In 2021, Austin launched a new chapter of his career, signing a global label deal with Local Hay / Big Loud Records, and released hits like top five hit “Tailgate To Heaven” feat. Chris Lane, “Planes Don’t Wait,” and newest single to Canadian country radio, “Get You.”

A lot of musical acts try to build on the success of their early music. But for indie pop-rock band Yam Haus, each time they release new music is a new step in their musical evolution —particularly this time around.

It’s been a half-decade, a lot of touring, three EPs, more than a dozen singles, a lost bandmember, an appearance on American Song Contest and a global pandemic since the Minneapolis-based trio last put forth a project. In other words, the Yam Haus preparing to release new music in 2023 is nothing like the kids who took the Midwest by storm a handful of years ago.

“I feel like so much has happened since the first songs and this doesn't even feel like it's our follow up,” says bassist Zach Beinlich. “I feel like a new band. We have a totally different way that we're approaching how we create music.”

“I genuinely feel less concerned about whether or not the next album is going to be ‘successful’ at this point,” adds singer and guitarist Lars Pruitt. “All I’m really concerned about is doing right by us and making something that we feel motivated to play live and love every inch of it for years to come. I’m just trying to do things in a way that’s super honest to us and our tastes — and hopefully the fans come along with us.”

As one of the newest additions to Big Loud Rock’s roster, Yam Haus’ search for authenticity has found the perfect home. Pruitt, Beinlich and drummer Jake Felstow know they could’ve gone down a more mainstream pop-friendly rabbit hole for their new releases if they’d listened to the industry suits and producers around them after their sold-out headlining shows before the pandemic. Instead, they spent their time taking their music in a new direction.

The result is a catchy blend of indie rock that still serves up the unforgettable hooks Yam Haus became known for, while also bringing a new level of songwriting maturity and musical complexity to their tracks. The band is growing up alongside the Gen Z audience that dove into their old music, while also allowing their personality and humor to shine a bit more and earn an expanded audience with the new stuff.

“We're really excited about the new music, because it feels like it’s the first time in a long time that we’re creating it as a unified front,” Felstow says. “That’s exciting for us, and hopefully it translates to the people listening to the music. We really put our best foot forward, and we’re loving it.”

“Even if it fails, at least it fails on our terms,” Pruitt adds. “The worst-case scenario is to make compromises, do things based on what other people think, and still not have it go very well. That’s not to say that’s what we’ve done up to this point, but we just realized we need to take an inventory of what we wanted. We made sure we were doing it for the right reasons and not just what we were being told to do.”

“We’re making and releasing whatever we're feeling at that moment,” Beinlich concludes. “I think we’ve done a good job with that so far, and it’s given us a couple of songs that are very different from what we might’ve done in the past. They may not feel like they fit with everything else that we’re doing — like one song has a trumpet in it — but it always just feels like what we need to get out at that point. We’re not trying to fit something in where it doesn’t belong, but if it feels right and we like it, we put it out.”

So far, that policy has been working out for Yam Haus and pleasing fans throughout the twists and turns of their musical journey. Ahead of the new music’s launch, the band started performing tracks that haven’t even officially been released at recent shows. And much to their surprise, their audience started singing the lyrics back to them after learning the songs from social media and single releases.

But despite the sustained success on both sides of the pandemic, Yam Haus feels like they’re just getting started. At the very least, Pruitt’s committed to the journey in ways not easily changed.

“I got the band tattooed on my ass, so I’m here for the long game.”