What goes around comes around, and nearly 25 years since their founding in Denton, Texas, multi-Platinum country band Eli Young Band have come home.
Led by an unmistakable vocal and bringing a Texas-rock edge to modern country, the never-changing lineup of Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones, and Chris Thompson have spent two-plus decades on the run, growing from hometown heroes into globe-trotting, chart-topping pioneers. Yet in all that time, EYB never forgot its raising, and today the foursome reclaim the spirit behind their success.
Returning to their independent roots, the bold creative defiance that launched them into the mainstream – and in many ways to their old stomping grounds – it’s a new chapter driven by experience and a million miles of wisdom, from a band of brothers still very much in their prime.
“We started this thing when we were like 20 years old, and it’s been such a crazy road and such a longer road than any of us could have conceptualized at the time,” says Jones. “I think right now feels a little full circle, in a really nice way.”
“Now, we get to step back into our Texas shoes,” Eli agrees. “I think this new stuff finds us reaching deep into our past as a band. We’re remembering where the magic was – all those songs we wanted to record for our Level record, that felt way too edgy for Country Radio at the time.”
Indeed, after becoming icons of Texas’ vibrant college-bar scene – and then packing arenas all over the state (without label support) – that Level album from 2005 landed like a live wire, injecting EYB into the mainstream. They followed in 2008 with their Gold-certified breakout “Always the Love Songs” and Jet Black & Jealous, one of three career Billboard Top 5 albums which include the Number One 10,000 Towns and Platinum Life At Best.
Likewise, back-to-back Number One singles came with the 5X Platinum “Crazy Girl” in 2011 and 3X Platinum “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (2012), plus the Platinum Number One “Drunk Last Night” and 2X Platinum Number One “Love Ain’t” after that. All along they kept the intensity of their live shows front and center, and with a following which now includes more than 1.4 million Facebook followers, 2.2 million monthly Spotify listeners and more, it’s time to get back to the point.
Ready to follow up 2022’s Love Talking, the band have returned to Panhandle House Studio in their hometown of Denton – the same studio where Level was born – bringing new tunes and new excitement along with them. All co-written as a band or with long-trusted collaborators, a fresh batch of songs return EYB to the raw, grassroots energy and emotional sting of their early work, geared for the stage and recorded without digital tricks.
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For the band, being independent again for the first time in years isn’t a challenge, it’s a reward – and they took the chance to embrace not just renewed creative freedom, but the fun of their self contained live-band philosophy.
“Going back to Panhandle House where we recorded Level, it feels like we got to remind ourselves why we started making the kind of music we make,” Eli says. “When this music comes out, I think fans will know it is 100% coming from us.”
“Honestly, going to Panhandle House feels like going back to your childhood house in a way,” Jones notes. “It just evokes these memories, like this slightly-younger version of ourselves comes out.”
“One thing that’s really special is we’ve come full circle and remember that energy, but we’re also older and wiser,” Thompson adds. “We have years of studio, songwriting and performing experience under our belt, so we have more of a honed edge going in. That’s a really cool advantage.”
The comfort level is plainly evident. Exploring new corners of their patented sound by day, and going home to their families each night, the band were free to bring every ounce of the last 25 years to bear. Tracks like the lead single “Home In Hometown” are proof, featuring all the elements that made EYB what it is – from the electric vocal delivery to the deeply textured sonics and soulful theme.
A true-to-experience ballad of life on the highway, “Home In Hometown” stands as a heart-on-their-sleeve tribute to those the band loves most – and what they’ve learned from 20+ years away. While atmospheric guitars and a steady rhythmic pulse capture a sense of anticipation, another euphoric chorus helps the band unpack what “home” really means.
“I was digging deep into our Texas roots,” Eli says of the modern-classic midtempo. “I wanted to write something that felt like Pat Green or Jack Ingram would cut. And when you travel like we do, a lot of times you’re thinking about coming home and being with your family – but, it’s almost like if they meet you on the road, anywhere can be home. It just feels right. I wanted to capture that.”
More new tunes will roll out as 2025 and their 25th anniversary arrive, with the band continuing to celebrate an EYB homecoming. From feel-good singalongs and heart melting wedding anthems to pure, untamable romance and clever comebacks of love, they show the same stage-rocking Texas-country hit makers fans know and love, undaunted and with new maturity baked in. We all know seasons change, but if you pay attention long enough, things have a way of coming back around.
“It’s been a blessing just to be able to do this for so long, and over our career we’ve seen a lot of bands come and go,” Young says. “It feels it’s family, and we can take that with us as we go down this next part of the road.”
“Our music, since it’s been the four of us making it from day one, has such a strong through line,” Jones agrees. “The way we sounded in the beginning, that’s the way we’re going to sound in the end.”
“There is no A&R, there’s no label head. There’s nobody saying, ‘Maybe you should do this, maybe you should push that,’” Eli explains.
“Yeah, we’ve got no one to blame,” Jones adds with a laugh. “Honestly, we just want people to know we still absolutely love making music, and this comes from a place of passion. Life is good and we’ve got stuff to say, we’ve got this thing we’ve built. I feel like we’re in a good place.”
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