Thomas Rhett Loves the ‘80s in ‘Crash and Burn’ Music Video

For his new music video, Thomas Rhett is throwing it back to the '80s -- and he's channeling John Cusack to try to win back the love of a pretty brunette.

Rhett's "Crash and Burn" video kicks off with the singer sitting in a red convertible as he gets dumped by his girlfriend, who says, "I'm over it. I'm done," before hopping out of the car and leaving Rhett to drive alone.

But Rhett won't take no for an answer, and he sets out to win her back by using Cusack's character Lloyd Dobler's method from the 1989 movie Say Anything: blaring a boombox outside her window.

"I think any guys can relate to the scenes in this video," Rhett tells People. "We've all been in this guy's shoes, trying to do whatever it takes to win back a girl!"

But will Rhett's strategy work? It's not looking so good as the video continues, especially as he follows the girl down the street, begging for another chance.

"Crash and Burn" is the first single off of Rhett's upcoming sophomore album, and he says that the track is emblematic of how he's hoping to push himself with the new project.

“The first time I heard this song, I immediately loved the paradox of how happy it sounds, even though the lyrics are about a guy who loses out in love,” he says. “It’s also definitely one of the most vocally challenging songs I’ve ever recorded. But for the new album, I really wanted to try new things, to stretch myself and explore that side of my sound ... These are not your average songs on a country album.

“It’s going to be really cool to show a little bit more of my vulnerable side on the record,” Rhett adds. “The party songs have gotten -- they’re pretty left field. They’re so much fun, and they make you feel so good. Say, for example, I put "Crash" out, and it literally crashed and burned. Then that would probably change some things. But ... it looks like fans are loving it, and radio’s responding to it, so it makes my gut feel good, knowing my gut was decently on the right path.”

Rhett is currently on the road with Florida Georgia Line on their 2015 Anything Goes Tour. See a list of his upcoming shows at ThomasRhett.com.