During its initial run, from the early 2000s to the beginning of this decade, Sugarland helped nudge country-pop in a notably savvier direction. The southern singing and songwriting duo — comprised of friskily theatrical frontwoman Jennifer Nettles and her even-keeled, guitar and mandolin-picking foil Kristian Bush — took an outgoing, big-eared approach to the dialogue between Nashville and the broader world. Besides celebrating small-town struggle, contentment and aspiration and embellishing classic country heartache, they incorporated college rock covers, borrowed a trick from the cheerfully psychedelic spectacle of a Flaming Lips show and did some nutty sampling of steampunk and reggae aesthetics.

Listen to the First Listen of our new album “Bigger” here.