'We need it for our souls': Dan + Shay reemerge with new, upbeat album 'Good Things'
They've earned billions of streams, won armfuls of awards and commanded sold-out arenas – but nine years ago, Dan + Shay found their footing in a far more humble space.
"We'd sit down in our buddy's basement and camp out, just the two of us," says the country/pop duo's Dan Smyers.
"We'd really, really dive in, and I think that created that Dan + Shay sound. Having unlimited time, where we didn't have to hop on a bus every Wednesday night, get back Sunday, throw the laundry in and boom! Suddenly you're back out (on the road)."
Unfortunately, success – which reached a new peak with the massive ballads "Tequila," "Speechless" and "10,000 Hours" – meant that Smyers and bandmate Shay Mooney would never have "unlimited time" again.
Until they did.
The duo was just three shows into their first-ever arena headlining tour when the pandemic pulled them off the road. After a couple of months at home, they dove in again, and reemerge this week with their fourth album, "Good Things," recorded and produced largely in Smyers' home studio.
Though it's not without a breakup anthem or two, it's a notably upbeat and affirming collection — and Dan + Shay will share those vibes through a huge outdoor concert Friday in Nashville.
"It's gonna be a celebration of life," Mooney says of the event. "And getting to see all these amazing people that have helped us get where we are at this point."
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'We need it for our souls'
That's reflected in recent single "Glad You Exist," an ode to the miracle of finding your soulmate — but even before its release, the duo told fans "Glad You Exist" was also for them.
"There's a couple billion people in the world, and a million other places we could be," Mooney belts over a buoyant acoustic guitar.
"But you're here with me/Take a moment just to take it in/ 'Cause every high and every low led to this/ I'm just so glad you exist."
The title track of "Good Things" might be the epitome of the album's positive spin. Yes, it's about a breakup, but the narrator hopes his ex will remember the better times. "You're not together anymore, but you're dancing through the pain," Mooney explains.
The duo even raised the keys of a couple of songs, giving them a sunnier bent. Between those moves and the unflappable groove of "Steal My Love," there's very little room for bitterness on "Good Things." To hear Smyers tell it, that's what the times demanded.
"You saw it in pop music when the pandemic was hitting," he says. "There were things like The Weeknd and Dua Lipa: super-happy, up-tempo dance records were really popping off, because I think people seek music as escape. Overall, we were kind of seeing a lot of light at the end of the tunnel at beginning of the year, when we were deep in the weeds on the album...we need it for our souls to put out some stuff that was uplifting and positive."
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'The beauty of being a songwriter'
The duo also closed some literal distance during the making of "Good Things" when Smyers, his wife and dogs moved from Nashville into the Mooney family's less urban neck of the woods.
Previously, Mooney jokes, "It was like 'Yeah dude, let me let me settle up the horse and buggy, and I'll be there in six days.' It was a full journey."
The change allowed for more spontaneous sessions, but the duo also made an effort to dig back into the catalog and give some older, unreleased material a fresh listen. That included one of Mooney's old favorites: "Let Me Get Over Her," a minor-key waltz that like "Tequila" before it, finds Mooney singing about a former flame he can't keep off his mind.
For a couple of happily married guys, Dan + Shay have a knack for singing about heartbreak — and they've had that pointed out to them before.
"I think that's the beauty of being a songwriter," Mooney says. "You're able to jump into that role of being a storyteller. Because yes, obviously, we are happily married now. But that doesn't mean we haven't been through heartbreak...We also have a lot of our buddies there that were sharing stories, and you're able to put yourself in that place."
Another, much older song made its way into "Good Things" — one that Dan + Shay didn't write. Bill Withers is a credited songwriter on the album's latest single, "Lying," after the duo noticed its rising and falling piano motif resembled the one heard in "Lean On Me."
"There's not enough words to describe how amazing that song is," Smyers says.
"It's just a timeless, iconic song that every single person knows. And I would assume that there was some subconscious inspiration…when we finished that song, it was obvious just listening back (that) we were in some way inspired by it. And we felt like it was the right thing to do."