Album Details
- Album Title: TBA
- Release Date: Late 2020 or Early 2021
- Status: Mixing as of September 2020
- Recording Dates: June 2020 - September 2020
- Writing Dates: Late 2017 - Summer 2020
- Producer: Dave Cobb
- Lead Single: TBA
- Expected Sound: Anti-pop, more country, country rock, roots rock, soulful, gospel, sad, personal, back to earlier roots
- Expected Themes: Death of mother, grieving, romantic relationships, love, breakups, empowerment
In September 2017, a year after releasing his album Something Worth Saving, Gavin DeGraw's mother passed away after a battle with cancer. At the end of the year, Gavin revealed he'd been writing sad, soulful, and gospel-styled songs to cope with the loss. It was too soon to say if those songs would appear on his next album, but they did serve as a starting point for writing.
Throughout 2018, Gavin periodically teased new music he was working on, eventually revealing he was moving in a more country rock direction. Up until then, Gavin's music had always fallen in the pop-rock, singer-songwriter, adult-contemporary realm. His music was soulful and at times rootsy, but never outright country. However, after recording a song with country musician Brett Young and touring with country artist Phillip Phillips, Gavin certainly has immersed himself in that community. It's an interesting genre change, but we'll have to wait until we hear his new music before we can pass judgment.
In summer 2019, Gavin said he planned to release an album early in 2020. However, he actually didn't begin recording the album until June 2020, working with producer Dave Cobb. As of September 2020, he's finished recording and is into the mixing phase. Gavin says we'll hear his new music "sooner than we think" -- maybe by the end of 2020? If not, early 2021 is a safe bet.