Equal parts vintage Nashville, Texas swing, and Bakersfield bravado, The Shootouts’ sophomore album Bullseye draws heavily from the music on which the band’s members were brought up, packaging all of country music’s classic subgenres in their modern, signature sound. Produced by former BR459 lead singer Chuck Mead, Bullseye shows The Shootouts mining their roots and expanding the territory they explored with their debut album, Quick Draw. The songs invoke a wide array of country music’s most important contributors, lassoing the band’s classic influences and bringing them straight into the present. "Great songs. Great picking. Great singing,” says Mead. “Bullseye gives it all to you. What more can you ask for?"
Fans can purchase or stream Bullseye right now at this link. To find more information on The Shootouts and to purchase all-new Shootouts merchandise—including limited edition, colored vinyl—visit shootoutsmusic.com. On Wednesday, The Shootouts were invited by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to participate in a virtual interview and performance to celebrate the release of Bullseye which can be viewed now right here.
With Mead at the helm, The Shootouts—Ryan Humbert (lead vocals, guitar), Emily Bates (backing vocals), Brian Poston (lead guitar), Dylan Gomez (drums), and Ryan McDermott (bass)—laid down songs like “Here Come The Blues,” an upbeat California country tune about the reckoning of loneliness and longing, “Everything I Know,” a galloping “High Plains” anthem told from the perspective of a lovesick fool, and “Saturday Night Town,” another rowdy live show staple beloved by Shootouts fans.
While Bullseye is packed with rollicking barnburners that are just flat-out fun, some of its finest moments come from songs that evoke the heartfelt authenticity that has always been at the core of country music. But overall, The Shootouts’ mission with Bullseye was simply to create an album that puts a smile on listeners’ faces. “For everyone’s sake, this needed to be a fun record,” Humbert said. “We’re living through a time where people are suddenly out of work, have lost loved ones, and have been experiencing unimaginable stress on a daily basis. Even if it’s just for 30 minutes, we want them to take a break, crank it up, and enjoy themselves.”