Lady Antebellum Release First Single From Upcoming Album

Lady Antebellum have released the first single from their upcoming fifth studio album.

The hit-making trio's new single, 'Bartender,' went to radio Monday (May 12). The track, which features Hillary Scott as the lead vocalist, is an up-tempo song about a woman who plans a night out with her friends to get over a broken heart, but with a twist.

"I think it's always cool when you can capture what feels like a fun track where the lyrics are a little darker," Charles Kelley tells Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "You really listen to the lyrics. It's definitely a head-bobber, but then you kind of listen and you're like, 'Man, this girl is talking about literally drinking the pain away.' I think those songs are cool when you can have that juxtaposition."

"As a female, I love the fact that it's not this song about her [saying], 'My hearts been broken, it's so sad, he did me wrong.' It's not about going and rebounding with some other guy," Scott adds. "She's just going out with her friends and having a night to forget about what this dude just did to her. I love that as a woman, kind of taking the reins in a situation and getting over it in a fun way."

The song's high energy is indicative of the direction the group are taking on much of the forthcoming album, for which they tapped Taylor Swift producer Nathan Chapman. After spending a lot of time touring recently, the trio realized they needed more up-tempo songs in their live set to keep fans engaged, and to that end, Kelley says they focused more on those kinds of tracks for the new project.

"I feel like we were able to just freshen up our sound," he notes. "But, we don't ever want to go off too far what we feel like is true to our sound."

'Bartender' will be available through various digital retailers beginning May 20.