How Restless Road Kept Their Eyes on the Prize for Their Debut Album, Last Rodeo

We've been following the journey of country trio Restless Road since they first formed on The X Factor all the way back in 2013, and to say that the release of their debut album, Last Rodeo, is a full circle moment is an understatement.

The album is finally out today, Oct. 20, consisting of 18 tracks that showcase just how beautifully members Colton Pack, Garrett Nichols and Zach Beeken work together as it team. With tracks including "Growing Old With You," "Bar Friends" and the title track, "Last Rodeo," which are already fan favorites, this album demonstrates the group's expansive talents as a country act,  with an emphasis on powerful love stories. Despite the title, Restless Road's musical mission is truly just getting started, and in the interview below, we got to catch up with the guys to find out where they are now and what this new music means to them.

Sweety High: What does the album title Last Rodeo mean to you? Why did that title track feel like the perfect summation of this group of songs?

Colton Pack: The title doesn't mean what you'd think it means. To me, the title means being resilient and keeping your eyes on the prize, which sums up who we are.

Zach Beeken: It means never letting anyone or anything keep you down. It's all about getting back on your feet, eyes on the road, one foot in front of the other. Being a band the 10 years, there's been a lot of times we've had to bounce back. When we wrote Last Rodeo, I felt like it captured everything we've been through.

(Photo credit: Gus Black)

 

Also read about: How Restless Road's Relationships Inspired Their Video for 'One Step Ahead'

 

SH: What do you feel are the overarching themes of the album? What kind of feel do you hope fans take away from it?

Colton: Resiliency, never giving up, love and heartbreak.

Zach: Inspiration.

Garrett Nichols: We hope it inspires them. We hope people can take these songs and apply them to their own lives. We hope they feel inspired and empowered and that they feel like they know us better after.

 

SH: How would you describe the album's sound? Production-wise, how did you go about bringing these tracks to life?

Restless Road: We harnessed our individual voices and backgrounds to create a unique blend of harmonies and sounds. It's kind of a melting pot of who we are.

 

SH: How do you feel that these songs represent where you all are in life right now?

Colton: I feel like the songs talk about a little bit of everything I've been through in life, from heartbreak to finding the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. And then just the fun songs you'd want to listen to with your friends.

Zach: I went through some heartbreak recently so a lot of songs on the album kind of deal with that. And then with the love songs, I've known what it's like to be in love and can still feel hopeful when singing those.

Garrett: I think a big theme in my life is my relationship, so I really connect with the love songs. That goes hand in hand with the theme of Last Rodeo—fighting for love and fighting for what you want. I'm really in that mode of working on my personal and professional life.

 

Also read about: Thomas Nicholas Talks His Band's New Record Deal and Upcoming Single, 'Tomorrow's Gonna Hurt'

 

SH: What are the group's favorite songs on the album? Why?

Garrett: "You Don't Have To Love Me," because I found the person I want to spend my life with and I feel lucky that I have.

Zach: "10 Things," because I believe every word and the sound of it excites me because it's different from anything we've done.

Colton: "Last Rodeo," because lyrically, the song is about not letting anything stand in the way of your dreams. I also love "Leave Them Boots On." As far as the sound goes, it's the kind of stuff I grew up on and something we've never done before.

 

SH: Was there anything that surprised you about the process of recording and putting together your debut album?

Garrett: It was challenging to choose which songs we wanted to include on this project. We wanted them all to fit with what we wanted to say, which I think we managed to do in the end.

Zach: It was surprising how many songs we came away with and how I was connected to so many.

(Photo credit: Gus Black)

 

Also read about: What You Need to Know About Country Trio Restless Road

 

SH: How are you feeling about releasing this debut album to the world?

Restless Road: Super thrilled. We hope it means as much to our fans as it does to us.

 

Listen to Last Rodeo in full here:

 

For more interviews on our new favorite music, click HERE to hear from Bre Kennedy on her new music video for "Hello."