After experimenting with their sound on 2016’s Oh My My, Ryan Tedder and his crew have returned to their roots in what Tedder calls their “most OneRepublic album” to date. “We wanted to make something where it’s like, all right, if you’ve been with us at all going back to ’07, ’08, if you’ve liked anything we’ve done, this kind of encapsulates that,” Tedder tells Apple Music. “It’s a summary of all four previous albums.” Songs like “Run” and “Didn’t I” evoke some of the band’s classic sounds as flourishes like whistles and orchestral strings are designed to remind you of some of their biggest hits.Key to Tedder’s objective is writing pop songs that are relatable. “I’m trying to strike a nerve, and at least somebody walks away with one or two records where they’re like, ‘Wow, that song just read my mail.'”

“For the people who’ve ever liked our sound, they’re going to find stuff on this album that’s going to connect with them sonically. And then I think we have to evolve.”