Dustin Lynch Finds the ‘Blue In The Sky’ On Optimistic New Album

“I’m in a very happy place and an optimistic place in my life personally,” Lynch shared.

By

Madeleine O’Connell

| Posted on

February 13, 2022

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10:40 am

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Dustin Lynch; Photo by The Dwyers

Country star Dustin Lynch is getting into “Party Mode” with the release of his fifth studio album, Blue In The Sky.

After breaking up with his ex, Lynch started going out and partying more with his friends as a coping mechanism. Eventually, he realized he needed to take advantage of this time alone to reset and start focusing on himself. Devoting the extra effort to himself led him to feel better than ever before and excited for whatever the future holds. With this album and his recently announced tour, Lynch is embracing the feel-good moments of life this year. 

Dustin Lynch; Blue In The Sky
Dustin Lynch; Blue In The Sky

“I believe we all have a choice every day to notice the blue in the sky and that’s really what that lyric and that title makes me think of,” Lynch recently told Country Now and other outlets. This album title may sound familiar because it’s the opening line of his summer single, “Tequila On A Boat,” featuring fellow country artist Chris Lane.

“Blue in the sky, sky on the water/98 degrees, it’s only getting hotter,” he sings. 

“That [lyric] was the one that raised its hand just because of where I am and where this album is pointing…I’m in a very happy place and an optimistic place in my life personally, but also in what’s going on with my music career,” he explained. 

The rest of the tracks on the album, such as “Tennessee Trouble,” “Pasadena,” and “Break It On A Beach,” follow suit with their high energy sound and carefree vibes.

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“Somethin’ That Makes You Smile” is one track that especially stood out to Lynch when he first heard it. As he was washing his hair in the shower, listening to the many pitches that flooded his inbox, he felt so connected to this one in particular. 

“I remember going, ‘man what is this, this is really talking to me,” he recalled. “I’ve got to get out of the shower to see who sent this.”

Turns out, it was from someone who has stayed persistent in their pitches to Lynch over the years. Finally, after hearing “no” for so long, he was finally able to say “yes.”

“That ended up being an adventure because I wasn’t the first artist to hear the song. We had to do some maneuvering and have some conversations with the creatives to let them know we planned on recording this within a week,” Lynch revealed. 

Dustin Lynch; Photo by David Bradley
Dustin Lynch; Photo by David Bradley

The process for putting this album together began right as “Thinking ‘Bout You” featuring MacKenzie Porter took off. At the time, he didn’t know this song would soon become his eighth No.1 single. 

Lynch had a hand in writing five of the 12 songs off this album. A good chunk of them were penned around the same time, but some were pulled from the past, including “Pasadena.” This track just didn’t resonate him in the right way in 2013, when it was originally written. He was reminded of the song’s potential during a writing session with his late friend Busbee in his Pasadena, CA studio. With just a few tweaks, it was brought back to life. 

“‘Pasadena’ is a great example of just because it doesn’t get picked up after the first pitch doesn’t mean it’s over,” he acknowledged. 

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Switching things up, the track “Break It On A Beach” is all about Lynch recalling the day of his breakup – where it happened, why it happened and how it happened. What makes this song unique, is instead of talking about the day through his eyes, he wrote it in his ex’s perspective, trying to imagine how she was feeling. Lynch labeled this track as the most “autobiographical song” on the project. 

During a recent performance at Luke Bryan‘s four-night Crash My Playa festival, Lynch debuted the track “Party Mode,” which is also the title of his first-ever headlining tour. “I loved how country it was. It’s a flavor we haven’t done yet, it’s a subject matter I haven’t done yet,” he said. 

“It makes me wanna dance, makes me wanna pour a drink even though it’s about a breakup,” he continued in discussing his song that’s about to hit radio airwaves. “It made me think about going through the weeds of that, not being able to sleep for weeks on end after going through it, but I’m excited for it.”

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All of these tracks signify where Lynch is at in this new chapter of his life. He’s spreading positivity and ready to bring a whole lot of fun to his fanbase. 

With Sean Stemaly as his supporting act, Lynch is taking his tour all over the country for a year of celebrations with his new, positive mindset. He’s previously shared the stage with some of country music’s biggest stars. Finally, it’s his time to plan an entire tour his way, which could include a bit of confetti released during his performance of “Shooting Confetti.”

“We’ve been so blessed to be apart of these tours where we’ve gotten to open for artists or be the direct support for years. It’s time now that we go out and we put the ticket sales on our shoulders,” he confidently shared. 

Blue In The Sky is available to stream/download HERE

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Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.