Corey Kent sums up his personal ethos in the title track of this sophomore record: “In a world of waving white flags, be a black bandana.” The idea for the song, which celebrates persevering in the face of obstacles, came from Kent’s own black bandana, which the Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter began wearing while riding motorcycles and has since adopted as something of a trademark. It’s a fitting name for an especially personal project from Kent, who pushed himself and his collaborators to go bigger and bolder after the success of his debut album, 2023’s Blacktop. “Instead of trying to make something that sounded like ‘Wild as Her’, or something that sounded like any of the last record, it's like, ‘How do I create something new instead of recreating what’s already happened?’” Kent says. “It was important to me, too, to take some chances and do some new things and create some new sounds and let my voice be the common thread through the songs.” Highlights include “Nothing But Neon”, a ’90s-inspired ballad heavy on melody and mood, and “Damn Good Country Song”, a fresh take on finding inspiration in heartbreak. Lauren Alaina joins Kent on “Now or Never”, lending her powerhouse voice to an already affecting track. Below, Kent shares insight into several key tracks. “Ain’t Gonna Lie”/“Damn Good Country Song” “I wanted a really starkly contrasted one-two punch to start the record, to throw out any stereotypes. What any fan would preconceive this record to be is out the window after song two, because you get hit with the opposite ends of the spectrum on the record. And, hopefully, what that shows is that we’re diverse and the thing that holds it all together is my voice and my ability to tell a story.” “Black Bandana” “We were actually at our ranch in Texas, and it was me, Rocky Block, Jordan Dozzi and Brett Tyler. And Brett wrote ‘Wild as Her’, so he knows my story and he’s been there for a lot of it. And he’s like, ‘I’ve been wanting to write this song with you called “Black Bandana”.’ And I was like, ‘Well that’s really cool, but what does that mean?’ And as we worked through that, I was like, ‘What’s the opposite of a black bandana?’ And there was this light-bulb moment. I wish there was a camera there to capture it because no one person had the idea before the next. We all looked at each other, and we were like, ‘A white flag.’” “Now or Never” (feat. Lauren Alaina) “I cut it as a song that I was just going to do by myself on this record and lived with it. The song was done. And then, over the next couple months was just like, ‘Man, I think maybe this should be a feature.’ We waited for months and months until we found the right fit. We’re playing this radio event, and it’s a songwriter’s round, if you will. And I’m sitting right next to Lauren, and I hear her sing, and I went, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ The tone, the control—she’s so powerful, man. There was just this beautiful mutual respect for each other and the work that we’ve put in on our crafts, to be capable of doing this live. And it was really cool. And then, we got in the studio and…I mean, she’s a professional. She had so many great instincts. She’s awesome.” “So Far” “I wrote that song on the day that I signed our record deal. And it was just a nice end to a chapter of life. I mean, I’d never had a record deal. Had a couple offers, but they didn’t work out, and it was a long and winding road of even leaving the music industry and exiting Nashville and moving to Texas. It was the end of a great chapter of crazy. And to go, ‘OK, and now the new chapter begins. How do I tie a nice bow on this?’ And my co-writers were awesome enough to go down that path with me, and I really wrote it as almost a love letter to my wife.”