Long-awaited new music from Love and Theft arrives soon

It’s been seven years since singers Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles, collectively known as country duo Love And Theft, released new music. They return with Better Off, a six-song EP the two wrote and produced themselves, available on all platforms July 22 via global music provider ONErpm. A music video for “Better Off” is also in the works.

“This is the most authentic music we’ve ever made,” Gunderson says. “We didn’t write with a specific sound in mind; we just wrote to have fun and be as creative as possible. This is probably the coolest music we’ve ever put out.” The platinum-selling duo has six top 25 radio singles under its belt and more than a million followers on social media.

The guys co-wrote each of the six songs on the EP, a process that typically started with Gunderson building a track. After working together for 15 years, each is attuned to the other’s writing styles. Gunderson describes Liles’ method as “rapid-fire,” while he keeps his ideas in his head and shares them all at once. When they add a co-writer, they already know how their duo partner will react.

“We’ve switched up the entire way we approach making music,” Gunderson explains, “so we’re excited to have that control.” Liles agrees. “It’s what we want to say,” he affirms. “It’s even more personal because this is the first time we’ve ever owned our masters and our publishing.”

The EP’s title track was co-written with Jared Mullins (“Homemade,” Jake Owen) and Christopher Stevens (“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” David Lee Murphy/Kenny Chesney). It is acoustic guitar–driven country-pop . 

“Accidentally on Purpose” is a melodic pop song co-written with country artist Bree Doster. “It’s a fun vibe,” Liles says, and Gunderson adds, “It gets stuck in your head, like an ear worm kind of thing.”

Founded in 2006, Love and Theft spent their first five years as a trio, releasing top 10 single “Runaway” in 2009. After becoming a duo in 2011, Love and Theft released its second album, featuring recurrent No. 1 “Angel Eyes,” while a third album produced the critically acclaimed single “Whiskey on My Breath.”

Track List:

1. Accidentally On Purpose (Bree Doster, Eric Gunderson, Stephen Barker Liles)

2. Better Off (Eric Gunderson, Jared Mullins, Stephen Barker Liles)
3. Anyway (Eric Gunderson, Jared Mullins, Stephen Barker Liles)
4. Downhill (Stevie Monce, John Satterfield, Eric Gunderson, Stephen Barker Liles)
5. Mirror Mirror (Bree Doster, Eric Gunderson, Stephen Barker Liles)
6. Tell Me What It Feels Like (Miro Goto, Eric Gunderson, Stephen Barker Liles)