A lot has changed for Chris Lucas and Preston Brust over the past few years – they’ve dominated mega country festivals and headlined their own tours, they’ve started families, signed with a new label and, like most artists, their music has evolved. Known for their rambunctious musical style and commanding stage presence, the dynamic duo LOCASH dropped the “Cowboys” from their name and are back with a new EP, I Love This Life, their first with Reviver Records.
To the average listener, LOCASH has always been a different breed of country artist – they created a theatrical yet memorable image with their quirky songs and crazy antics (such as climbing lighting fixtures at CMA Fest – looking at you, Preston). But dedicated followers of the duo saw something else – they saw the vulnerability and musical ingenuity of Lucas and Brust – they saw talented songwriters cutting prolific songs for other artists (such as Scotty McCreery‘s “The Dash” and Keith Urban‘s #1 hit “You Gonna Fly”) while displaying true testaments of determination and drive in making their own careers take off. Now those average listeners get to experience what the LOCASH Army and other industry insiders have known for some time. Now Lucas and Brust realized their own worth as artists and songwriters and moved forward with a project amplifying their growth as both – “These songs were on hold for other artists,” says Brust at the official EP release party on October 19 in Nashville. “We had to make phone calls and say ‘hey, we’re going to believe in ourselves and in our label and keep these songs.” In keeping those songs, they have compiled a fantastic six song EP.
Kicking off with the infectiously positive title track they wrote with the intent of sending to Garth Brooks (and became their first Top 20 hit), I Love This Life cascades into the up-tempo “I Know Somebody.” Written by songwriting heavyweights Rhett Akins (Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton), Ross Copperman (Jake Owen, Keith Urban), and Jeremy Stover (Justin Moore, Jack Ingram), the contemporary tune shows that the duo are capable of making tunes written by others as their own. “Ain’t Starting Tonight” is an up-tempo melody that proves LOCASH could contend with the heavyweights they have written this tune for if ever released to radio, while the banjo heavy “Til the Wheels Off” displays the vulnerability aforementioned fans and close listeners had always known was just beneath the surface.
The two stand-outs on I Love this Life are completely perpendicular – the first, the John Legend influenced piano infused “Shipwrecked” displays an overwhelming amount of depth. After being asked the question “If you were stranded on a deserted island, what items would you need with you?” several times during media interviews, Brust thought “What would be the one thing I would really want if stranded on an island?” Sitting down at his piano, this thought progressed into a powerful masterpiece – they named their new brand of wine after it, Preston performed it at the Grand Ole Opry amongst proposing to his girlfriend, and two short weeks later, “Shipwrecked” was the song she walked down the aisle to at their wedding. “I’m still trying to figure out how to gather royalties from that,” Lucas jokes at the October 19th event.
Finally, it would not be a LOCASH album without a bit of fun. “Drunk, Drunk,” inspired by a night of drinking after a show in Massachusetts in winter, the Caribbean-flavored song is heavy on the steel guitar and steel drums. Comparable in musicality to Florida Georgia Line’s “Sun Daze”, “Drunk Drunk” transcends you to warm breezes and fruity drinks with light-hearted lyrics such as One Long Island/Two Long Island/Three Long Island/Floor. “We would not be LOCASH if we did not have that one fun, crazy song” quips Lucas, and “Drunk, Drunk” definitely delivers in a relaxing style.
LOCASH has come a long way since “Here Comes Summer” and to miss the progression would be a regret. I Love This Life is released on October 30th, make sure to pre-order your copy here. Also make sure to take a listen to our interview with Preston Brust about “I Love This Life” here.