LANCO: ‘We’re Gonna Make It’ – Album Review

LANCO shares brand new sophomore album We’re Gonna Make It, officially out now, January 17th on all streaming platforms. Learn more and listen to the new album below.

Ten years into their tenure as a band, LANCO returns with their new album, We’re Gonna Make It, the follow up to 2018’s debut Hallelujah Nights. The sophomore release marks their first with Riser House Records, and a musical rebirth of sorts over the course of 14 new tracks.

Of the new album, founder and frontman Brandon Lancaster reveals, “Country music has always had a lot of pain in it. When I’m writing a song, I acknowledge that pain, but I also believe in restoration and redemption, and I wanted to explore that on this record.”

In many ways, the album tells the tale of a relationship, traveling through the highs and lows of real life, but proclaiming victory through it all. “There are two characters you are following throughout this entire record,” Lancaster shares in a statement. “You’ve heard a little bit about her, you’ve heard a little bit about him, and you’ve heard about their friends and kids. But ultimately this album is about these two people, who are there for each other through fire and brimstone, come hell or high water.”

Opening with the title track, a twangy and jubilant ode to overcoming obstacles, is the perfect way for LANCO to introduce their newest chapter. Having overcome much since their debut release, the almost Appalachian-inspired ode opens the album on a poignant and optimistic note towards the future, building to a momentous chorus of gang vocals proclaiming “we’re gonna make it!”

The band, composed of Lancaster, multi-instrumentalist Jared Hampton, bassist Chandler Baldwin, guitarist Tim Aven and drummer Tripp Howell, continue with thirteen additional tracks that combine pop, country, rock, and Americana, all centered around honesty and relatable lyrics. There are hints of nostalgia and broken hearts mixed with triumph and hope, all weaved together in a uniquely cohesive package.

Nostalgia for simpler times finds its place on songs like “Memories (We Didn’t Know),” “Million Dollar Memory,” and the especially poignant, “Beer With Younger Me.” While “Memories” is a look at those special moments that don’t seem important until they’re gone, “Beer” is a standout, much in the vein of Brad Paisley’s classic “Letter to Me.”

“If I could sit down and have a beer with younger me, I would first just listen. And then I’d tell them to not be afraid of making a wrong decision, ” Lancaster says of the track. “Because you learn from all the things you’ve done, both your mistakes and your wins.” 

“Low Class Lovers” and “Sounds of a Saturday Night” are two of the album’s most anthemic and upbeat tracks. While the former is a celebration of the fact that money doesn’t lead to happiness, “Saturday Night” is a roaring, pop-influenced celebration of the weekend with its anthemic chorus and instrumentation. 

“Yeah, Seger on the speakers teachin’ us night moves // Yeah, got a wild in your eyes, no tellin’ what you might do // Got my heartbeat beatin’ like a kickdrum // When you’re dancin’ in thе pale moonlight // Woo-hoo, don’t it sound so right? // Yeah, that’s the sound of a Saturday night”

Love songs are also prevalent on the LP, in all forms. “Where I Belong” is a catchy and melodic ode to finding home in someone else’s arms, while “Come Over” soars over Eagles-esque slide guitars on the invitation to a romantic rendezvous. “You’ll Always Be” is an ode to the type of love that endures and changes, while remaining true to where it began.

“You’ll always be that dancin’ in the bar // At two in the morning while they’re kickin’ us out // You’ll always be that tattooed arm // Makin’ waves out the window with the headlight out // Yeah, I know time will paint some lines on the face of you and me // But in the end you’ve always been the better half I need // You’ll always be // Days move fast and years fly by // You can’t go back and you can’t rewind // But every night lookin’ in your eyes // You take me there again”

Another clear standout is “We Grew Up Together,” featuring vocals and harmonies from Christian artist Cory Asbury. The song is a simple look at how parenthood transforms parents, forcing them to grow up along with their children. “We often think our parents have it all together, but they’re just people that met each other, fell in love, and then had a kid. I realized in raising my own children that we’re all learning as we go,” he says. “There’s so many times that I’m trying to instill a lesson in my kids, and I’m thinking at the same time of how it applies to me.”

“You learned to walk I learned to walk in my faith // You learned to talk I learned the things I shouldn’t say // You ain’t the only one who’s gonna make mistakes // God made you, you made me better // We both won’t stay young forever // You don’t know it now but one day you’ll find out // That we grew up together”

The album ends with the sparse and intimate “Nothing That You Could Do,” a promise of love that’s unshakeable and unbreakable. Of the track, Lancaster reveals, “The song is a set of musical vows, connecting the dots of a love story that began with the album’s opening track.”

Throughout the new album, LANCO takes listeners on a relationship journey with a couple who have been bumped and bruised, but are sure to make it in the end. With the release of We’re Gonna Make It, the same can be said for the talented quintet.

Country Swag Picks:

  1. Where I Belong
  2. We Grew Up Together
  3. Beer With Younger Me
  4. You’ll Always Be
  5. Sounds of a Saturday Night

We’re Gonna Make It Track List:

  1. We’re Gonna Make It – Brandon Lancaster / Chandler Baldwin / Tripp Howell / Jared Hampton / Ben Williams
  2. Memories (We Didn’t Know) – Brandon Lancaster / Tripp Howell / Craig Wiseman
  3. Where I Belong – Brandon Lancaster / Chandler Baldwin / Tripp Howell / Jared Hampton / Jason Nix
  4. Low Class Lovers – Brandon Lancaster
  5. We Grew Up Together featuring Cory Asbury – Brandon Lancaster / Chandler Baldwin / Tripp Howell / Jared Hampton / Cory Asbury
  6. Honey I Lost My Job Today – Brandon Lancaster / Jeremy Spillman
  7. You’ll Always Be – Brandon Lancaster / Chandler Baldwin / Tripp Howell / Jared Hampton / Joey Hyde
  8. Come Over – Brandon Lancaster / Chandler Baldwin / Jared Hampton / Tripp Howell / Wyatt Durrette
  9. Beer With Younger Me – Brandon Lancaster / Jared Conrad / Keelan Donovan / Chandler Baldwin
  10. Sound of a Saturday Night – Brandon Lancaster / Tripp Howell / Tate Howell / Jeremy Spillman
  11. Leaving Looks Good On You – Brandon Lancaster / Tripp Howell / Chandler Baldwin / Tommy Cecil
  12. Million Dollar Memory – Brandon Lancaster / Tripp Howell / Grant Vogel
  13. Last Call – Brandon Lancaster / Mike Walker / Rian Ball
  14. Nothing That You Could Do – Brandon Lancaster / Chandler Baldwin / Tripp Howell / Seth Alley
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LANCO’s new album, ‘We’re Gonna Make It,’ is out now on all streaming platforms.

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We’re Gonna Make It is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.