Old Dominion hit a high note as a group with the release of their 2021 album, Time, Tequila & Therapy. But before they made that project, they went through a difficult period, the band mates admit in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
Part of their challenges came from the COVID-19 pandemic: They weren't together as much, and it became more difficult to have conversations face to face. “It took away the communication style that we're used to. You can't sit and have coffee and say, What do you think?'” explains the band's Geoff Sprung.
“There were two-day-long text threads. It was like, Is this fun anymore?' And it wasn't,” Matthew Ramsey admits.
Adds Trevor Rosen, “It was all the work of being in a band without any of the joy of being in a band.”
Fortunately, with the help of a little Time, Tequila & Therapy — literally — they started to get their groove back. Things improved when the band mates convened in Asheville, North Carolina last September to write and record their new album.
The “Therapy” part of that title is especially important, as several of the band mates are in regular therapy. For Matthew, the experience has helped him communicate effectively with the other guys of Old Dominion.
“This is not a normal life, and the things that come with it are sometimes difficult to wrap your head around,” reflects Geoff. “A lot of it is, How do I adjust? How do you make the transition from being out here where it's kind of one life and then you go home to another life?'”
Today, the band mates say they're closer than ever. The lead single of Time, Tequila & Therapy — “I Was on a Boat That Day” — represents the band’s more carefree side.
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