Lady Antebellum Get Back to Basics With Joyful, Foot-Stomping New ‘Boots’ [LISTEN]
Lady Antebellum have said that the process of making their upcoming studio album, Ocean, felt like re-capturing the energy and excitement that they had when they first formed the band 13 years ago. That rejuvenation shines through in "Boots," the latest track to be shared off of the record, which pays a nod to the classic energy and twangy instrumentation of early Lady A albums. Press play above to watch!
"Yeah, these boots / Never walkin' out on you / They ain't got no more runnin' left to do," bandmate Charles Kelley sings in the first verse of the song. "Whoa, here I am / Whoa, forever your man / These boots / Never walkin', walkin' out on you."
"Boots" highlights Kelley's gravelly vocals throughout the track, contributing to an already grainy, rootsy aesthetic. Nothing in the production is over-polished or over-pretty, which balances out the sweetness of the lyric. Meanwhile, a spirited fiddle line runs throughout the song, adding to the sense of joyfulness, energy, and a return to the group's classic country beginnings.
The group has previously shared a small handful of songs off of their forthcoming album, including the title track, a mid-tempo instant grat track called "Pictures" and the leading single, "What If I Never Get Over You." Additionally, the group has teased a team-up with fellow superstar vocal group Little Big Town called "The Thing That Wrecks You."
The group has described Ocean as a deeply personal album, explaining that they specifically chose an ambiguous title in order to keep it open for interpretation. "Ocean stands for all the things that we think and feel when we hear the word," Scott explains in a press release. "It's parallel with those feelings, much like the songs about barely keeping your head above water and others that make you feel like everything is smooth sailing."