Fill in the blanks: “Freakin’ Out” is a cross between _____ and _______.

“Freakin’ Out” feels like a cross between bad and ass (thus making it badass). No, actually, it feels like a cross between Texas and Seattle. The culmination of two cultures that couldn’t be more different yet so similar. Grunge meets Southern meets anger meets outlaw rebellion.

What did you learn about yourselves when you were making this album?

That we were actually good musicians, and we didn’t have to fit into the Nashville/L.A./NYC mold that comes with rock music. It really allowed us to trust ourselves and lean into a sound that we always wanted to be but were told would never work. It’s very fulfilling to see that trust paying off.

What’s your favorite moment on The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales?

Man, this is like choosing between your children. Ask me one day and it’s going to be hearing Jamie Foxx’s voice on my album, or outdoing myself with the hook on “Cowgirl,” or the vulnerable moments like “Coyotes Point.” But today I’m feeling “Burn It Down” and getting to do my best countrified Tom Petty alongside Leon Bridges.

Fill in the blanks: The Outlaw Cherie Lee is a cross between _____ and _______.

The Outlaw Cherie Lee is a cross between Sergio Leone and hip-hop, between romance and violence—just like all the great American epics that inspired it.

What did you learn about yourselves when you were making Grateful?

Patience.

What inspired “Homewrecker?”

I think most everyone has experienced the scenario where there’s an obvious connection between you and someone who happens to be in a relationship already. You don’t want to be the cause of a breakup, but you truly believe that everyone would be happier if there were to be a realignment, so to speak.