Parmalee – brothers Matt and Scott Thomas, Barry Knox and Josh McSwain – have been together for 20 years this year.
In December 2019 they released their single ‘Just The Way’ featuring labelmate Blanco Brown, and back in March this year the song finally climbed to the top of the charts, giving them their first number one since 2013’s ‘Carolina’. The success of that song paved the way for new album ‘For You’, which was released last month.
I caught up with vocalist and guitarist Matt Thomas to talk about the release of ‘For You’, discuss the huge success of ‘Just The Way’ and to find out about their return to touring…
Your new album ‘For You’ is now out in the world. How does that feel and how are people reacting to it?
It’s great, man. We’ve got a lot of great comments on it. We didn’t know we were gonna put it out, we just ended up with a bunch of songs we all really liked. To be able to put them together and put the album out, and have everybody be excited about it, it feels amazing actually because it’s been four years since we were able to put an album out. To see all the comments and the songs getting playlisted and things like that, it’s amazing, man.
It’s very cohesive. I wouldn’t have known that you hadn’t actually conceptualised this as a body of work…
‘Just The Way’ was doing great and we didn’t know if we’re going to get one more single or an EP, but we knew there had to be a song after ‘Just The Way’. When we went into writing mode, we were really just focusing on that, and that’s probably why it is cohesive. We wanted to keep the positivity, the energy… whatever that was between ‘Carolina’, ‘Just The Way’ and ‘Close Your Eyes – all the hits that we’ve had – we looked at the past stuff and ‘Just The Way’ and were like, ‘OK let’s just intertwine them all together and let’s just keep moving forward with that idea’. We ended up with a bunch of songs and we had to whittle them down. We were trying to do an EP and the label suggested that we put an album out. We cut our budget in half just so we could do all the songs. We went in and doubled down on the work and got it done so we were able to put them out.
Your song ‘Just The Way’ has given you another number one and it’s been your biggest crossover hit to date. What was that experience like?
It’s almost top 15 at Hot AC right down and it’s top five in Country, which is crazy man. You can’t ask for anything more special than that really, especially having (it top the charts) when a lot of people discounted us. I think everybody was just waiting on us to give them that song and we hadn’t for about three years given them that song. The way it all came about was crazy. I’d written in 2018. We did about three or four versions of it. I hadn’t really played it for the label or played it for anybody but our camp and our producer. When our producer heard it he was like, ‘I like the song but something’s not quite right. It’s not done, right’. He said, ‘why don’t you get Blanco on it?’ He went in and we reproduced it, the version you hear now, and we turned it in to the label and they flipped out. It’s unreal but that’s the power of a song when you have a song that connects and I think the timing was perfect. Over the pandemic, having something positive when everybody’s at each other and there’s so much negative energy out there. Just something as simple as, ‘hey, I love you just the way God made you. You’re all good’, I think everybody could use that anytime, you know?
Timing is so important and that song landed at the exact right time. It must have been frustrating not being able to get out and play it live, and properly promote it…
Yeah, we’re not alone. Everybody (was in the same situation). I think the timing played out for us better than some because it went number one in Country radio in March so we’ve been able to go out and play since it peaked. That whole swell is what I think was the most frustrating thing and not being able to go to these cities and towns and see people singing it back. Once it starts going up the charts or starts getting connected more, you start seeing it elevate everywhere you go. We missed out on that. You’ll never get that back, a song starting and then growing and growing. Now we’re playing it and everybody’s singing it. They know the song and it’s pretty amazing to see the energy behind it at a live show now.
Now you’re back out on the road, and you have a very comprehensive touring schedule for the rest of the year, what’s it been like to return to live shows? Has it been quite an emotional experience?
Yeah, it is, man. The energy is like twofold now, it’s great. Everybody’s so excited. I think everybody just learned to appreciate it more because sitting at home, after a while, it starts messing with your psyche and you’re like, ‘OK, what am I doing here? What’s my purpose?’ Some people maybe found it wasn’t their purpose andthey went on to do something else but for us we’ve been playing every weekend since we were 15 years old. When you’ve done that your whole life, you’re like, ‘what am I supposed to do on a Friday night? I can’t go anywhere. I can’t play .There’s nothing to do!’ It was frustrating. Everybody thought we were gonna be back in six weeks but after a while we had to talk and said, ‘look, guys, we need a break from each other, we need a break from all this, there’s nothing we can do. Go have a vacation, do what you got to do personally, take care of whatever you need to take care of, and not think about having to get out there and do it’. Once we figured out that we were good. The first half was like… (laughs)
It’s so important to have a break though, even if it’s not something you’ve chosen to do. I imagine you guys don’t get very much down time or time apart from one another as you’re on the road all the time…
No, not from each other. We did a show Tuesday night so we spent all day together and we’re leaving tonight at midnight. We’ve been together this week, five out of seven days and it’s going to be like that for the rest of the year until maybe December or January. It’s been like that forever really. We needed it. It was good for us and it also gave me time to write. I really focused on hammering down on writing and then just went at everyday like that. Josh, he and his wife bought a camper and they went camping, and Barry had a baby, and Scott got married. I think it was is a great reset for all of us.
It feels like you’re incredibly energised at the moment as a band and this album is, as you said, full of positivity, which is something we all need right now. Do you have big plans for the album because there are plenty more singles on there?
Yeah, we’re looking at ‘Take My Name’ as the next single. When we put it out there, we’re gonna see what people want to hear. That’s the easiest thing because you can look at the numbers now; how many streams you’re getting or what songs people are commenting about. We’re getting comments on so it’s great. This was just writing for the song after ‘Just The Way’ and keeping that positivity and energy going. We wanted to try to keep that. We’re not really negative (people). We’ve had so much crap happen in our lives that I don’t want to write about it or sing about it. I’d rather have fun with my music and the other stuff can live on its own. We try to keep everything positive. On the ‘Feels Like Carolina’ album, I actually turned down a song that ended up going number one for Cole Swindell, ‘You Ain’t Worth The Whiskey’. I remember listening to and I was like, ‘it’s a good song, I just don’t want to think about that right now. I’m trying to keep it fun and positive’. Then he cuts it and goes number one, and I’m sitting there going, ‘damn!’ (laughs). It might not have worked for us but it was a number one song for him.
Are you planning to bring this record over to the UK and tour it?
Hell yeah! As soon as we can book it. We had some dates booked going into 2020 and we were really excited about getting over. We’ve never been so this will be our first time and I’m so excited about that. We flew in one time and did a layover in London, and that was the only time we’ve been over there. Travel to me is the best part about this job. Getting to see the world and play music is amazing. As soon as we can get over there, I’ll have to talk to my booking agent, we’re coming. We’ve always wanted to do that and we’ve not been able to yet. I’m ready. We’re ready. I want to come tour the whole place and I want to spend some time over there.
If you time it for early 2022, it’s going to be one big party because live music should be up and running again properly here then. We’ll be ready for good vibes, beer and live music..
I love it. We love beer, man (laughs)
You’ll fit in great then won’t you? We have pubs on pretty much every corner…
Yeah, big time I’m telling you (laughs). We love it. We were in a hotel the other day and we had to do a show and the record label couldn’t find us. I was like, ‘you know where to find us, we’re gonna be at the bar (laughs).
Is there anything else you want to fit in before Christmas?
Just trying to catch up on tour is the main thing. I haven’t got back to the writing process yet. I’ll probably start writing here in the next month or so to keep the chops up and keep going, but really it’s about touring and playing as many shows (as we can). Opportunities are coming in and shows are coming in, whether it’s TV or radio things like that. We’re talking about writing a book on the history of what we’ve been through and the craziness of our life and being in a band. That’s something we’re tossing around to get started on. But really man, it’s just about touring and just getting to the people because we’ve missed everybody, and we haven’t played these songs for everybody. It’s great because it’s like a new start, it’s fresh. With the new album and not being able to see people for a year, it’s just exciting man.
Parmalee’s new album ‘For You’ is available now. Watch the video for their number one smash ‘Just The Way’ featuring Blanco Brown below:
