ABC/Randy HolmesFor their first time in their career, The Revivalists have a "hit" to follow up. The band's new album, Take Good Care, out now, arrives after their single "Wish I Knew You" reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart last year.
Speaking to ABC Radio, lead vocalist David Shaw describes how the success of "Wish I Knew You" impacted the approach to Take Good Care.
"You have some success like that," Shaw says. "Then you're thinking, 'OK, we'd love to have that success again, how do we do that while staying true to what we do and what we've done, while also simultaneously growing through that process?'"
The Revivalists tried to do that with Take Good Care and songs like lead single "All My Friends." So far, so good: the track currently sits in the top 10 on the Alternative Songs chart.
Like "I Wish I Knew You," "All My Friends" is about looking back. While the former is about regretting not getting to meet someone sooner, the latter's about Shaw surviving a difficult time of his life.
"I had a pretty tumultuous time in my 20s," Shaw says. "I was a heavy alcoholic, heavy into drugs.'"
He continues: "We kinda stumbled on this idea of, like, 'Well, did you have good people in your life to kinda lift you up and help you out of that period?' And I was like, 'Actually, absolutely, yes.'"
The Revivalists wanted that message of hope to reverberate throughout Take Good Care, which is partly why the album's title is a line from "All My Friends." It's also a nod to the band's fans.
"They call themselves the RevHeads, and they're really good to one another, actually," says guitarist Zack Feinberg. "They've created this really nice community that's really heartwarming."
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