FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

New Florida Georgia Line music is coming in August. The duo has announced that they will release their third studio albumn. Dig Your Roots, on August 26, with Big Machine Label Group

In addition to revealing the albumn's release date. Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley revealed on Friday their new projects (pretty darn adorable) albumn cover.

The black-and-white cover features baby photos of the two; Kelley's on the left in the cowboy hat, while Hubbard's on the right."Our albumn cover says it all," Brian Kelley says in a press release."Tyler and I are continuing to grow musically and personally. We really wanted this albumn to reflect who we are and our lives in this moment, but also where we came from."Adds Hubbard," We both started out playing guitar, singing in church and writing songs, so we wanted to let fans see our foundation— a deeper side to us. We couldn't have picked a more fitting title or image for Dig Your Roots."

WHO WE ARE

THEY'VE GROWN UP, AND IT'S REFLECTED ON THIS PERSONAL PROJECT

Crickets chirp and frogs croack before either memore of Florida Georgia Line is heard on their new Dig Your Roots album. It’s a sign that the 15 songs are unlike anything you’ve heard from them before.There’s depth, surprising depth. Dig Your Roots is a personal album that doesn’t dispose of the good times. They’re just quieter. Instead of all-night ragers that the whole neighborhood is invited to, Florida Georgia Line bring more memorable nights in. They’ve grown up, and it’s reflected on this personal project.

Some may find songs like “Lifer” and “Island” too personal. These are love songs recorded with Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley’s respective brides in mind. To criticize those means criticizing “Dig Your Roots” and “While He’s Still Around” — songs that name-check their respective fathers — and that’s a tougher sell. Both hit the heart hard in different ways. The title track is a jam that hooks fans in ways “H.O.L.Y.” and “Dirt” didn’t, but still delivers poignan- cy.

Florida Georgia Line’s first single from Dig Your Roots is “H.O.L.Y.” It’s a big country love song that features the duo’s more sensitive side, and their wives. Literally, they’re in the music video:

H.O.L.Y

“While He’s Still Around” is a more subdued ballad that finds Kelley on the microphone, singing about his father and everything he’s learned. Fans of “May We All” will appreciate both of these songs.

It’s astounding how different Dig Your Roots is from FGL’s 2012 debut. Here’s to the Good Times was a one-dimensional project, and this album has more sides than Dungeons and Dragons dice. Ziggy Marley brings reggae flavor. The Backstreet Boys remind us what the early ‘00s sound like on the saccharine “God, Your Mama and Me.” “Heatwave” is just that, an exciting coda on an album that spends a lot of time in mid-tem- po land. “Smooth” (the aforementioned opening track) is a swampy country rocker that needs to be a single right now.

The evolution of Florida Georgia Line is fascinating. Had they tried to repeat the formula that made them head- liners, they wouldn’t have made it to album three. Kelley and Hubbard deserve credit for staying one step ahead of their fans and expectations.

“May We All,” a collaboration with Tim McGraw, is the second single. It’s a mid-tempo nostalgic country song that features all three singers and shows a new side of the country duo.

MAY WE ALL