Colbie Caillat has ‘Gone West’ With Her New Country Band [LISTEN]

Known for effervescent, dreamy tracks such as "Bubbly" and "Realize," pop singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat has made a move into the country music scene with a new quartet. The band, Gone West, includes her longtime musical collaborator Jason Reeves and his wife, Nelly Joy, along with Caillat's fiancé, Justin Young. Readers can press play below to listen to their eponymous first single, which Reeves says tells their story.

“The song and our band name, "Gone West," explains where the band came from," Reeves says in a press release. "We're all from west of Tennessee, and when we're not in Nashville, chances are we've gone west -- back to Iowa, Texas, California or Hawaii. Each verse is about going to our significant other's hometown and bringing them to Nashville. It's autobiographical and our band's theme song.”

The lyrics describe the iconic western locations that the band members call home: "Headed out to California / Gone west to see the sun / There's a fortune here if you got time, but I’ve found mine / Buried in the golden hair she spun / Sailin' off to search the islands," the song's lyrics say. "Gone west for somethin' new / Found paniolo and wave riders, but chose neither / Picked the sweetest sugar cane they grew." The first verse leads into a foot-stomping chorus, which references Tennessee but ultimately favors a return to those areas of home.

Caillat says that her move to a country sound happened organically while the foursome was touring together: “It was an acoustic tour and very harmony driven, and we realized how much fun touring could be when you’re with your friends and significant others -- and can bring your dogs out on the road too,” the singer-songwriter tells Billboard. “Justin and I moved to Nashville two years ago to try living in a different city, and Jason and Nelly introduced us to all of their friends, so it really feels like home.”

The talented foursome dropped their four-track debut EP, Tides, on Jan. 18; the project includes "Gone West" and the bittersweet, harmony-rich "This Time." Tides is available for download now.

Listen to Gone West's "Gone West"

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