I Don’t Want a Maddie & Tae EP, I Want The Whole Damn Thing
Announced Monday morning (3-25), country music duo Maddie & Tae will finally have an album of new music to peddle come April 26th when a 5-song EP called One Heart To Another is released via Mercury Nashville. It has been a long, arduous journey for Maddie & Tae after getting caught up in the shuttering of Big Machine’s Dot Records imprint in early 2017. This left the duo label-less, despite owning a #1 Platinum-selling song in “Girl in a Country Song,” a Top 10 Gold-selling single in “Fly,” and a record that debuted at #2 in the country charts and has since sold over 100,000 copies.
The good news is that Maddie & Tae landed on their feet when they were signed to Mercury Nashville in June of 2017. At that point, it had nearly been two years since the release of their debut album, Start Here, and they had already been working on their sophomore record. But since then it has been a waiting game for a new release.
Mercury Nashville has released a couple of new songs from the duo, including the radio single “Friend’s Don’t,” which did moderately well, but stalled at #33 on the airplay charts. The song “Die From A Broken Heart” has been a sleeper hit for the duo without any radio play, spending ample time near the top of iTunes charts, and receiving over 6 million streams on Spotify so far. Maddie & Tae also released a new song “Tourist in This Town” on March 1st.
Perhaps we should be happy that nearly four years removed from their debut, and nearly two years since signing to Mercury Nashville, Maddie & Tae will finally receive a proper release of new music. But despite what some will tell you about the new way music is consumed in the streaming era and EPs being a fine alternative, they’re never considered for awards, and are often relegated to 2nd tier of releases by the media, the industry, and the public, especially in country music where the album concept is still respected. They’re also very rare for established artists in the middle of their career.
But there’s a deeper reason why the release of this Maddie & Tae EP feels inappropriate, and more of a stop gap than a proper album. It’s because their long-awaited sophomore album that they slaved over for years and have been waiting well past their time for a proper release date is a concept record that was written and recorded to be heard as a cohesive experience.
“So, it’s like a story,” Tae Dye told WYRK nearly a year ago, when they first announced the new album was on the way. “Basically, through the whole record, it’s going to start at the beginning of a relationship, and then it’s gonna go into the ‘in love’ phase, then the ‘breakup’ phase, just like it always happens. And then, at the end, it was really important for us to have that redemptive moment … I think anyone is going to be able to relate because you can go through heartbreak in all different settings, in all kinds of friendships and relationships.”
Some or all of the 5 songs that are being used to populate this EP aren’t meant to be heard autonomously, but as part of a bigger conceptualized narrative, with the songs equaling something greater than the sum of their parts as opposed to being worn out by listeners before the concept record even arrives. Also, a 30-day lead time between when this EP has been announced and when it will be released is not a lot of time to ramp up promotion and anticipation.
There are some good reasons to release an EP from Maddie & Tae right now. They are about to embark on a tour opening for Carrie Underwood beginning in May, and it would be nice to have a new piece of merch to schlep at shows, along with new songs to perform that concert goers can then stream. But how many times have we seen artists with long-awaited records receive EP releases instead, and only to never hear the entire LP? We’re still waiting for the debut record from Mickey Guyton.
At the risk of sounding alarmist, the information about the new Maddie & Tae EP parallels Mercury Nashville pulling support from their single “Friends Don’t” which only succeeded moderately, and which probably should have been replaced by “Die From A Broken Heart” when it was shown to be the more resonant and well-received song.
Yes, it’s great that Maddie & Tae finally have a new release on the way. And hopefully this is just to tide fans over for a full album rollout later this year. But Mercury Nashville has had plenty of time to get this finished record out to the masses, and the importance of the album concept, especially for conceptualized albums, should be respected since they often find greater favor with critics, award voters, and the listening public.
Maddie & Tae are an important duo in mainstream country music. If the new album fails, then it fails. But it should be given every opportunity to succeed, as opposed to being piecemealed out and receiving half efforts behind the promotion.
Here’s hoping Maddie & Tae’s second record sees a proper release in the spirit in which they wrote and recorded it, and soon. We’re watching, Mercury Nashville.
March 25, 2019 @ 11:40 am
I like Maddie & Tae, but i find it so funny you champion them but hate on Maren so hard. They’re basically two peas in a pod, IMO.
Also, god damn is Tae beautiful.
March 25, 2019 @ 12:01 pm
If the record label of Maren Morris split a concept record of hers in half, I would have written the same article, just like how I came to Maren’s defense when her label pulled support of “Rich” preemptively from radio.
The fact that Maren’s music is mild and not country doesn’t affect the underlying principle that all artists should have their music serviced by labels in a timely and equitable manner, and have their wishes of how their music be presented respected.
March 25, 2019 @ 1:11 pm
Yeah, i agree with the premise of this article, i was just sayin’
March 25, 2019 @ 12:40 pm
Their songs are country. Maren’s aren’t anymore (and never really were). Why wouldn’t he champion them over a pop artist who has expressed interest in being a mainstream pop artist?
March 25, 2019 @ 12:44 pm
Maddie and Tae are Country?
Well they should have told me! everyone knows the best way for a pop/country-pop/acoustic-pop act to get spins on Country Radio is to tell everyone how Country they are!
And I bet a lot of people would believe it too!
March 25, 2019 @ 3:46 pm
Peas in a pod is quite a stretch, in my opinion. Maddie and Tae sound like country. Maren Morris doesn’t. Maddie and Tae are better songwriters, and while Maren’s voice is superb, I prefer the sound of Maddie and Tae harmonizing, or playing off of each other. And yes, Tae is a knockout. They both have become absolutely stunning women. Tae is just hard to look away from.
I too want a whole album, and I want to hear Tae sing lead on a few songs. Maddie has a phenomenal voice and I assume she’s lead because her voice is more unique, but I’d like to hear Tae sing lead on a song or two.
March 25, 2019 @ 4:01 pm
I think Maren is a far better songwriter but M&T are no slouches. I think they both sound about equally as country as the other, which is to say, not all that much.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:50 am
Or in Maren’s case, not at all country. They’re not similar–you just want them to be.
March 26, 2019 @ 7:31 am
Oh, man. You really put me in my place. Lmao.
They’re both just singer songwriters that blend pop, country, and whatever else into a modern package. Facts.
They wouldn’t fit on a bill with Tyler Childers and Kristina Murray just as much as Maren wouldn’t, either. Hell, I’d have a fucking blast at that show, but it wouldn’t fit.
They’d fit on a tour with Carrie Underwood and Runaway June, though! and, oh shit, wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what they’re doing! Going on tour with other pop/country acts! CRAZY.
March 26, 2019 @ 8:30 am
There’s no country to be found in Maren’s “blend.” That’s the difference.
March 26, 2019 @ 2:37 pm
Why can’t I rely directly to trigger? Anyway, um, if you don’t think My church, I wish I was, and all my favorite people is “just” (again not all that much) as country as the M&T song about Friends Don’t and Die Of A Broken Heart, I wonder if your ears are working.
April 9, 2019 @ 5:47 pm
I have to eat crow. At the time of this comment, i had only heard 2 of their songs, and lately i’ve really gotten into them, and they’re 100% more country than Maren, and much as i still love her… Maddie & Tae are pretty amazing and definitely a lot more country than i thought
March 27, 2019 @ 6:12 pm
They’re both beautiful!
March 29, 2019 @ 6:49 pm
They are not even close to Maren Morris. These girls write and play real country music. Yes, Tae is beautiful indeed.
March 25, 2019 @ 11:51 am
yeah ….fans of these girls ( and I’m a HUGE one ) have to be as bewildered by this ‘ hurry up and wait ‘ bullshit as you seem to be, trigger. their kind of talent and writing ability , their approach to making a COUNTRY record in sentiment and sound is rare , but more importantly , it SHOULD be the template for radio that CLAIMS to be country . this duo should have been swimming in hits from that first album ….SHUT UP AND FISH is just about the most clever , hooky , timely and well-crafted song I’ve heard in a long long time and its was barely acknowledged ( surprise surprise , I guess ….shit )
I don’t think you need to be a fan of these girls to at least appreciate the integrity in their approach to what they record and the sound they are presenting . It’s COUNTRY in the same way Patty Loveless , The Judds , Lee Ann Womack etc were country . Smart , solid character to the sound and energy where it was warranted .
this label crap really frustrates . I know two acts here in Vancouver who waited nearly two years after recording to see product released and then it was very poorly ‘promoted’. in fact promotion was almost non-existent . it just screams mismanagement and disinterest by the labels . maddie and tae should be household names in country music ….but that honour seems to be reserved for those other ‘country’ singers ….rhexa , juila michaels , elle king ,maren morris , and kelsea ballerini . Jesus what a mess ……
March 25, 2019 @ 12:02 pm
Please don’t slander Julia Michaels she’s never tried to be a country singer.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:14 pm
Agree. I’m a country music fan and I love Julia Michaels. Why is she even being brought up on this forum?
March 27, 2019 @ 12:19 am
” maddie and tae should be household names in country music ….but that honour seems to be reserved for those other ‘country’ singers ….rhexa , juila michaels , elle king ,maren morris , and kelsea ballerini . Jesus what a mess ……”
the last five names are NOT country artists but see more well-known in the genre than maddie and tae who ARE . that was my point above . all the male country guys are recording with pop artists who become better known to the country genre than ACTUAL COUNTRY ARTISTS like Ashely McBryde or Maddie and Tae
March 26, 2019 @ 2:35 pm
Julia michaels? Lmao no.
March 25, 2019 @ 12:08 pm
Oh goodie goodie (sarcasm)
I bet this inspiring album from a pair of college-aged early twenty-something women will be full of insights and worldly wisdom
like how to order coffee in more than twelve words, or how to parallel park my parents’ car at a Bernie Sanders rally
or how to tell my parents I’m dating someone on parole
You know what? after looking through my CD collection full of stuff written by grown adults with actual world experience, I think I’m going to sit this one out
I know I know “Hank Williams was in his twenties too”
Pretty sure Hank Williams had a lot more real world experience going for him
March 25, 2019 @ 12:49 pm
Nothing wrong with hearing from different perspectives.
To each his own though, I suppose
March 25, 2019 @ 1:32 pm
See, different perspectives would be three forty or fifty year old men from different political issues or geographical areas talking about experiences or whatever
I just don’t know what fresh perspectives can be gleaned from college aged people that I didn’t get years ago when I was in college
It’s more that as an adult I don’t feel like I need to hear about the joys of spring break and casual dating and fake friends and all that jazz
I went through that
I don’t like it from Luke Bryan I don’t like it from anybody else.
Admittedly my first comment comes across rather harshly but I just didn’t enjoy high school and college enough to want to hear a lot of songs about it
I’d much rather expand my thinking and hear things that are bigger and less generic
March 25, 2019 @ 2:41 pm
”See, different perspectives would be three forty or fifty year old men from different political issues or geographical areas talking about experiences or whatever”……
F2S , F2S …..perspective isn’t exclusive to age groups , political stipes or location …….but you knew that didn’t you …..
.
my grampa has dementia but he’s 90 with more experience than the next 10 people I know ….what should I think of HIS perspective ?
…..or .should we ignore ashley mcbryde’s perspective cuz she’s not a 50 year old guy ? how bout Bobby D writing THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN when he was , what , 20 ..? ….what about Trump’s ‘perspective’ …well Ok …let’s not go there .
c’mon F2S …we all know you can make way more sense than THAT statement ….in fact we count on it . now try to get a handle on YOUR perspective and talk to us ……lol
March 26, 2019 @ 1:14 am
Fuzzy… this might be the most ridiculous thing you ever said. If we all go by that mentality then we can’t listen to any of the legends.
Hank Williams: 23
Johnny Cash: 23
George Jones: 24
Conway Twitty: 24
Mother Maybelle Carter: 18
Tammy Wynette: 22
Dolly Parton: 21
Patsy Cline: 22
that’s just to name a few.
And I know… Hank was special and interesting and had a world of experience… etc, but unless you know Maddie and Tae… don’t judge their mental age. They might be far beyond their years… even yours.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:09 am
See, most of those guys had lived hard lives from the time they were children.
It makes them much more interesting and complex than same-aged people today, who have lived… very little if anything at all interesting
April 17, 2019 @ 4:56 am
I think Fuzzy’s comment is valid as proven by your list. Most of those people on your list grew up in the depression which changed many people forever. They also grew up during WW2 which also scarred the entire nation. And many grew up in unbelievable poverty, or in Merle’s case were facing a long time in jail.
By the time these people were 25 they had experienced more than Maddi and Tae will in 50 years.
March 25, 2019 @ 1:33 pm
This is an insane take. Imagine discounting any music of any type just because they aren’t old enough…. it’s cool if you don’t like their music, but this is a real weird way to go about choosing music. Guess everyone trying to make it in music under the age of, say 35, should hang it up until then?
March 25, 2019 @ 2:01 pm
I wonder how old Hank Williams was when he wrote all those songs…
March 25, 2019 @ 2:38 pm
Well, Hank was born in Sept. 1923 and his first recordings were released in 1947 including ‘Move It On Over’ so presumable they were written when he was 23 or 24 at the latest.
Maddie and Tae are both 23. In fact Tae’s birthday is one day later than Hank’s in September so she is the same age right now as Hank was on this date in 1947.
So the takeaway is that Fuzzy would have hated Hank Williams and ragged on constantly, I guess.
March 25, 2019 @ 2:47 pm
See, Hank Williams was interesting. I can name forty or fifty girls I went to high school with who are as interesting as these girls because there is nothing interesting about them. They are as indistinguishable from all the people I went to high school and college with as anybody. They have nothing unique or memorable about them because they blend into the millennial generation and quite frankly I’d rather hear Bobby Bare’s latest album about change and life than some young kook telling me absolutely nothing because they don’t know about anything yet
March 25, 2019 @ 2:58 pm
Yeah, I know all about Hank and I’m not comparing these two to him I’m just pointing out that you make blanket comments about people that you don’t really know much about. You don’t know what these two have lived.
It’s one of my pet peeves when people make these wide ranging judgments about people they don’t know.
And I am in no way saying they are anywhere near the talent or depth of Hank but I also think it’s ridiculous to just dismiss them because of age.
Don’t like their music, don’t listen to them, but to dismiss them for their age is ridiculous and doesn’t do your argument any good.
March 25, 2019 @ 2:41 pm
Friendly reminder that Hank Williams had a lot of world experience and WASN’T some college kid showing off his midsection. See, teen and early twenty-somethings aren’t exactly a source of wisdom. Most of them are trying to crush monster cans with their heads. I went to high school, I went to college. I don’t need to hear songs reminding me how suburban and college aged I am because I’m not. I went through that years ago and don’t need any more of it. There’s nothing new in that for me
March 25, 2019 @ 4:32 pm
What about Colter Wall? He’s young but he’s a storied songwriting with incredible talent all around. Age doesn’t mean anything, good music is good music.
March 28, 2019 @ 1:11 am
Younger than 40
April 17, 2019 @ 4:58 am
Your confusing age and experience. Anyone who went through the depression had experiences before they were 20 that Maddie and Tae will almost certainly never have in their entire lives.
March 25, 2019 @ 7:00 pm
No offense, Fuzzy, but your largely overblown dislike of Maddie & Tae seems rooted in some issue other than their music. Your comments seem more directed at a stereotype of college age females in general rather than these two people, as if you got your heart broken by someone similar and are holding it against everyone that even slightly reminds you of that person. I understand that pain, believe me, but it doesn’t have much of anything to do with this duo, qualitative or otherwise.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:20 am
My largely “overblown” dislike stems from the fact that I, as an adult, feel like every time I turn around there’s more and more teenager music and less adult music, and that when I express a preference for more complex mature themes from more complex and mature persons
See Bobby Bare’s most recent release, for example
I’m suddenly the bad guy because I don’t derive any pleasure from things that strike me as bland, generic teenager-centric and lack the complexity of the many many albums left behind from older more mature persons
So I dig my heels in and express my distaste more dramatically
because everyone insisting that “Maddie and Tae are just as mature as Hank and George and Waylon” is every bit the same as saying “Luke and Jason are just as outlaw as Merle and Willie and Waylon” or “Hunt and Kane are just as Country as George and Merle”
March 26, 2019 @ 9:19 am
You’re not “the bad guy” because of your preferences. It’s just that Maddie & Tae seem to strike a VERY specific nerve with you and it seems based primarily on the fact that they’re young women, and because they’re young women you assume what their personalities are based on experience with people you didn’t like and/or someone you had a relationship with. I’m not calling you sexist, but it certainly seems to be specific to these qualities. And keep in mind that NONE of this has anything to do with how country they are. Everybody has artists they dislike; for instance, I’ve been very tired of Sturgill and his pretension for quite a while. I called your distaste for M&T overblown because it really seems like you took one look, were reminded of someone, decided on the spot you hated them and have been groping for a concrete reason ever since.
And the comparison of maturity to outlaws is a false equivalency at best. Maturity is relative, being outside the system is not. I myself prefer more mature themes, but younger folks can have decent perspective in just the same way that age is no guarantor of wisdom. There are just as many idiots the world over of all ages as there are youngsters. I don’t think this duo’s music is as deep as other music I’ve heard, but it still shows some maturity and decent songwriting. They’re not my preference but at the same time I don’t really mind them. Given the choice between them and most of the mainstream, I’d pick Maddie & Tae without hesitation. If they were the worst thing on the radio we’d be in a very good place. I understand that you prefer classic country, but their style isn’t a terrible modern equivalent. They’re underdogs to an extent, so they’re easy to root for.
March 26, 2019 @ 11:02 am
Believe it or not I was one of their first fans
When they released that protest song that embodied everything I hate about the then current trend in ruining country music
Then I found out it was a hoax
a fake
a sham
Girl in a Country Song was a parody, a tongue in cheek protest
and there was nothing real there
it’s so… so demonstrably and laughably fake
and that’s everything these girls are
Fake. cons, rip-off artists.
And I’m riled up to have been made a mockery of with their fake protest song that pulled the wool over my eyes
March 26, 2019 @ 5:53 pm
Again, all of that seems a little harsh. But that you’ve finally explained that you feel like you were duped, your antagonism makes a bit more sense. I still think it’s a bit over the top, certainly in regards to their being young females, but to each their own.
March 29, 2019 @ 7:03 pm
you sound a bit like a grumpy old man. it’s not like they write about going to class and forgetting their books and going to football games. they write catchy, up beat, good pop-country songs. I assume your later comment is a bit sarcastic when you complain about the “mockery”. At least I hope so.
March 30, 2019 @ 5:52 am
Not sarcastic in the least.
I’m dead serious
I was stoked, excited, and overjoyed to hear a protest song about the problems in top forty Country
then I found out it was a farce and I never forgave these girls for essentially making me feel like I’m the butt end of their sick joke
March 30, 2019 @ 7:58 am
what makes you feel like it was a mockery? they wrote a song about being irritated how woman are portrayed in modern country songs. you don’t think they were serious? I’m just not following the anger toward Girl in a Country Song?
March 25, 2019 @ 7:15 pm
That is so hilarious. And true. No doubt they would have had a full album released if they were males. I’m sure that is what the quality champions are saying.
March 25, 2019 @ 8:06 pm
Here’s some young women that, in my opinion, show a lot of wisdom. I’m no Maddie and Tae fan, but you’re painting young girls with a pretty broad, unflattering brush.
Jessica Lea Mayfield at 15 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JahiB1lRjCk&list=PLPaztBWnatcg_dNwowcKgifMKG3cZOow1&index=5
Lydia Loveless at 21 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8At_K3L5oJg
Caitlin Rose at 21 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pP7t-npgR8&list=PL5m3D2g_Zw3zbvyRoiuT77QAjzu95USX3
Paige Anderson (and siblings) at 18 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mwvOFnSUTg
March 26, 2019 @ 8:24 am
Good list Trainwreck.
March 25, 2019 @ 12:45 pm
Their label should be pushing them WAY more on Spotify.
I never see them on the popular country playlists even though they’re a youth act and have had enough success to make the cut like Kelsea Ballerini.
Even random ass dudes who have never even charted make it on the Hot Country playlist. Mercury Nashville should just spend the $$ necessary to get them on there, that’s their audience.
March 25, 2019 @ 2:03 pm
That’s partly a label problem, and partly the fault of John Marks at Spotify who is presiding over the most bankrupt and corrupt system for curating playlists as possible. They make country radio look good.
March 25, 2019 @ 11:40 pm
“John Marks,” huh? Thanks––now I can attach a name to the moral and artistic tragedy that is Spotify’s country playlist “curation.”
Thank you, Trigger, for being one of the loudest voices on streaming manipulation, shady playlist placement, etc. If these official playlists have anywhere near the influence I perceive them to have, we (collectively) need to be talking a lot more about this shit, and the scumbags behind them like this John Marks character.
Also, what about Apple Music? I never hear about them in these discussions, even though they have more U.S. subs than Spotify, and are closing the global gap quickly. I know that they have tried to brand themselves as less algo-driven than Spotify; are they actually more artist-friendly? Less susceptible to manipulation? Less influential for some other reason? Or just less transparent about numbers?
March 26, 2019 @ 8:34 am
The reason I don’t cite Apple Music numbers is because I don’t have access to them. I used Spotify as a bellwether because access to data is easy and public. There are iTunes charts which can be interesting in the short term, but Spotify stream numbers still probably give a broader picture.
March 25, 2019 @ 12:46 pm
I didn’t love “Start Here” to me it was just so so overall except for the single which everyone loved. It never really made my rotation but I wanted to like it. Even though they lost their deal and I even said on here these girls continued to tour even playing a few suburban festivals around here last summer where most of their “contemporaries” wouldn’t dare to tread. I’m the person like Trig says waiting for the proper new ALBUM not EP so I can take a good look at where they are today. I don’t often listen when an artist releases a “song”. They were here @ Joe’s Live a couple weeks ago on a Tuesday night but I didn’t get there. I’ll give the EP a chance. EP’s ARE good for one thing Trig…… those short trips around town when I don’t have time for a full album. Still…..to be taken seriously in this business you release ALBUMS.
March 25, 2019 @ 12:50 pm
I am beginning to realize that labels might be clueless when it comes to promoting their acts. They released their lead single last year and hasn’t had any traction whatsoever. They release a promo single and it’s selling phenomenally, what stopped them from switching singles???
It’s hard enough promoting albums as they are but eps in today’s world WILL get forgotten. I wish them all the best though, what a way to drain all excitement.
(NB: Lanco won best new duo or group, which Maddie & Tae weren’t nominated for)
March 25, 2019 @ 2:05 pm
ep’s,traditionally speaking, brand an act as either brand new and unable to afford a complete studio record yet or provided that new act with a homemade ‘calling card’ .
an established act stepping back and recording an ep usually carried the connotation that the act wasn’t doing well and were treading water until they were signed again .
an act like this releasing an ep does nothing for their image and their status as bona fide artists with stats and cred . their label undermines what they’ve earned in that regard by releasing an ep and , indeed , an ep which fractures a cohesive effort . this act is SO MUCH BETTER and so much more COUNTRY than just about every female act charting – if not every mainstream act PERIOD .
are you telling me that out of the kindness of their dollar-driven hearts ‘country’ radio would push ‘ RICH’ by maren morris but not maddie and tae if a label wasn’t pushing MM on radio through dollars or favours ? what are we……complete dolts ?
RICH has NO business on ‘ country radio ….( and I’m not slamming MM ) when maddie and tae or ashley mcbryde get ignored . c’mon ……who are they kidding …they are chasing a pop demographic . they don’t team up all of these male ‘country’ singers with all of these female pop singers by accident . I am so insulted by the’ country ‘ music industry . they have lost all respect for not only the music but for PEOPLE …. they are chasing the mindless , the casual listener and the dollar . Period .
March 25, 2019 @ 2:09 pm
Mercury Nashville is the same label that sat on Chris Stapleton’s song “Traveller” as a single after his massive wins at the 2015 CMA Awards when the rest of the world was going nuts over “Tennessee Whiskey” that he performed with Timberlake. “Traveller” stalled at radio, then they released “Nobody To Blame” which stalled too. Meanwhile “Tennessee Whiskey” goes quadruple platinum and #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and still doesn’t get a radio release.
March 25, 2019 @ 12:52 pm
B-b-but they’re young women! They can’t have anything worthwhile to say! They should get back in the kitchen!
(Sarcasm, in case it’s not obvious)
March 25, 2019 @ 12:54 pm
That was meant for Fuzzy.
March 25, 2019 @ 1:37 pm
It’s not that these two are women,
it’s that they are considerably younger than me and so far as I can see have lived pretty generic suburban lifestyles
What exactly can these two possibly say that I can’t hear from ANY other late teen to early twenty-somethings suburban white chick?
It’s not that they’re women
it’s that they’re generic and boring and everything they bring to the table as artists is stuff that I put up with in high school and college
March 25, 2019 @ 3:57 pm
I understand your point about the lack of severe trials in their lives, but talent doesn’t just emerge out of darkness. They’re good, man. Just accept it and if it bothers you, direct that toward shitty artists who deserve your criticism. These two don’t.
April 17, 2019 @ 5:35 am
I’m not sure which way your sarcasm is going.
Think of it this way. What can two 25 year old college grad middle class people have as experiences that compare with people who grew up during the depression, WW2, and often lived in extreme poverty?
Do you really think Merle’s first 25 years, or Hank’s, Dolly’s, Tammy’s or Waylon’s were anything like Maddie’s or Taes? Dolly’s birth was paid for with a sack of corn. How does Maddie’s and Taes life compare to that?
March 25, 2019 @ 12:53 pm
So upsetting that the label is settling for an EP release as opposed to the entire album (and with such a delayed announcement, as you mentioned.) Especially because Maddie and Tae were so excited about doing a concept album, which is a rarity today, you would think that Mercury would capitalize on this differentiator and release the whole album leading up to Carrie’s massive tour. I hope we eventually get to hear it in its entirety – the way it should be consumed. (And good note about Mickey Guyton’s debut album not being released yet – her EP came out four years ago in 2015.)
March 25, 2019 @ 1:18 pm
I love these ladies! Can’t wait for the EP and album. Pretty cool that they are opening for Carrie, too! 🙂
March 25, 2019 @ 1:57 pm
Hey Trigger you should look into the other act opening for Carrie Underwood. Runaway June, they are a really solid trio and their current single “Buy My Own Drinks” has done pretty well.
March 25, 2019 @ 2:14 pm
runaway june :”buy my own drinks” …..two chords and their truth ..two chords …..like boys round here
they sound like female ‘bros’ ……nope ..this is just not very inspired ….very generic .
can’t we get the Dixie Chicks back somehow ….?
March 25, 2019 @ 6:02 pm
I never cared for “buy my own drinks” either. Some writers are good at winding two different themes or ideas into one on a simple themed song, but i dont even hear that. No story line to it as well.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:48 am
The first time I heard Buy my Own Drinks, I thought it WAS Maddie and Tae recycling that shitty computer drum beat from Girl in a Country Song. It’s basically the same song, different lyrics.
March 25, 2019 @ 2:26 pm
Still hate the intro to that song. No chicken in that pickin’.
March 25, 2019 @ 4:05 pm
Play any song you want from Maddie and Tae and then play a Margo Price or Ashley McBryde song…
Get it?
March 25, 2019 @ 5:14 pm
nope ….don’t get it Willie . apples and oranges ?…sure …maybe .
but I happen to like both apples AND oranges from the right crops .
these young ladies have a ‘ slicker ‘ approach and perhaps appeal to a younger demographic overall .
but it all comes across as honest as margo price and ashley do, to my ear . love ’em all
its real and its substance and its COUNTRY ! AND its fun ….
March 25, 2019 @ 4:48 pm
I don’t want a Maddie &Tae EP, nor do I want to hear one damn peep from them.
March 25, 2019 @ 5:58 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4f6akncUcc
March 26, 2019 @ 12:18 am
People say country music is dead… that’s not true… it’s the management that’s dead. If you do you’re job and are actually damn good at it management will not give you the recognition you deserve or room for growth. Now that is from a retail point of view however apply it to this situation. You have two songwriters that are talented. They have released music that is traditional compaired to other mainstream artists. They aren’t new to the industry. The label has not given them the proper promotion. Why? Same answer you get working for a big box store. You do your job too well. Real answer… nobody wants to be out of a job and in country music Maddie and Tae do their job too well which if given the proper promotion could unseat someone in music management. How? It’s harder for a manager to find an over-performer… like Maddie and Tae than an under-performer like um… Mitchell Tenpenny. And when you set that bar to a certain level of performance expectation management has to deliver… and there’s no guarantee that they can. Hopefully their EP gets the recognition it deserves so we can get the long awaited LP.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:44 am
Desperado is 100% correct. There are artists that we talk about and love everyday on this site that in my opinion are totally mismanaged. I’m not going to name names……..cough cough but you can guess who I’m talking about that I saw 4 days ago. They and people think that bigger success should just come to them because their album is “good” or in their minds their music is better than ___________(fill in the blank with some shit current day 1 song chode on the radio) In this day and age more than ever with social media etc…. promotion and having professional guidance has a massive impact on how a career goes. You want to be bigger? Find a team/manager that knows how to and wants to get you there. Then work your ass off and play everywhere!!!
April 17, 2019 @ 5:38 am
I wonder how much of it is due to some agents just not being savvy enough in social media. Either hadn’t grown up in it and adjusted to it or just not savvy enough to begin with.
March 26, 2019 @ 8:41 am
It’s not just in retail. My experience is managers don’t like to be shown up as it threatens their self aggrandizing omnipotence. They achieved their position based on being in the right place at the right time (or nepotism/good ole boy network) and fear those who are more competent. They’ve not learned that a “good” manager provides their subordinates the tools to be successful which makes the manager look good.
Many, and not just managers, believe putting out (or dimming or just not letting it shine to begin with) the light of another makes their light shine brighter. And this comes way before the me, me, me generation. It’s a selfishness and envy of others that seems bred into bullshitters and overly aggressive self promoters whose only claim to fame is self promoting.
That it has invaded the music industry is not surprising. The “learning” adventure has been condensed to a “formal” presentation to cover technical aspects of a profession/trade while ignoring the human element.
March 26, 2019 @ 6:59 am
Sadly, it sounds like they signed with the wrong label. Mercury Nashville isn’t demonstrating much confidence in their music or support for their next release. Maddie and Tae are a great duo who deserve much better treatment than this. Hell, they could’ve self-released the entire album on Bandcamp and done a better job of pre-release promotion via social media than what they’re getting from Mercury Nashville.
March 26, 2019 @ 11:01 am
Long time fan of these girls….Best wishes to them in their music career!
March 26, 2019 @ 7:37 pm
I enjoy their music. I saw several people saying how attractive Tae was. While she is very pretty I think Maddie is the hot one! I’m glad they’re getting more music out there. Pulling for the full album myself too.
March 29, 2019 @ 7:12 pm
Trigger you forgot to mention that this dumbass EP release only has 2 unheard songs. 3 of the 5 songs have been singles on iTunes and streaming for a long time. So essentially this “new” EP release is just two singles. It’s so frustrating that they have an album done and sitting there and they decide to release this cheap ass excuse for “new music”. So, you think this is a bad sign and the label is not going to support them and actually release a full album??
I just saw them in concert and they played over 20 songs and sounded great. They deserve better.
March 29, 2019 @ 7:57 pm
I think we will eventually get the full album, or Mercury Nashville will receive a pretty big backlash. But I also think they’ve dragged their feet, and then were forced to release the EP to coincide with the Carrie Underwood tour slot.