Maddie and Tae are back and better than ever! Their new single ‘Friends Don’t’ shows their growth since ‘Start Here’ in their vocals and their songwriting. Their last album was released in 2015, so it’s amazing to hear them back again after so long away. At each live show I’ve been to since then, they have given a taste of their new music with a few different songs and so for them to finally be released is exciting.
Their new single ‘Friends Don’t’ is all about what friends don’t do, but a potential love interest might, for example “They don’t talk about the future and put each other in it, and get chills with every accidental touch”. For me, Maddie and Tae’s songwriting is second to none in terms of connecting with their audience, ‘Girl in a Country Song’ is still up there in my ‘songs I wish I’d written’ list.
The duos have previously discussed writing songs based on their own experiences or those by people close to them. There’s something about those truths that mean they manage to write with such sincerity about an experience or a feeling, in a way that is relatable and familiar, something that all songwriters aim to do.
What I particularly love about this new single is that it showcases Tae’s harmonies as much as it does Maddie’s main vocals, which wasn’t necessarily true of all of the songs on their first album. When hearing them perform live, Tae’s harmonies are so perfect and I can’t wait to hopefully hear more of that on their soon-to-be announced album. The duo have mentioned in interviews that their new album will follow the story of a relationship from start to finish, so I’m excited to hear how ‘Friend’s Don’t’ falls into that.
Craving Country 