go country

Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye (of Texas and Oklahoma respectively) are best friends turned bandmates whose first single, “Girl in a Country Song,” was the surprise country hit of 2014—not only because it came from an under-the-radar pair of 18-year-olds but also because it’s a spirited, sarcastic takedown of the “Hey, girl, put on some short shorts and come along for a ride in my truck” brand of “beers and bimbos” bro-country that is fuelling the genre’s current popularity. “We both grew up with strong, independent mothers, and that is reflected in our music,” says Marlow. Their album, Start Here, out this summer, promises more honest songs about real life, like the track “The Downside of Growing Up.” “I wrote it on a day when I was on ‘the struggle bus,’ doing all the crap that grown-ups do, like paying rent,” says Marlow. “It’s about growing pains and finding out who you are and who you want to be.” n