Dan + Shay have previewed their first new album in two years with the release of “Save Me The Trouble.” The single is the initial listen from their upcoming fifth studio album, Bigger Houses, out Sept. 15 via Warner Music Nashville. In the video for the single, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney take the stage in front of adoring fans, while questioning the intentions of the woman they are singing about.
“Save Me The Trouble” showcases a sound indicative of the new record’s direction, emphasizing a more live, stripped-down feel.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a song that I am this one,” Smyers said in a statement. “We wanted to have something that was a real moment, and when we started writing this, it felt like it could be something big. I wanted every section to build, and even in the second chorus, when you’re like, ‘Okay, there’s no way it could possibly get any crazier,’ then Shay takes off even further.”
The duo simultaneously dropped two other songs from the album – “Heartbreak On The Map” and the title track “Bigger Houses” – along with music videos for all three.
“Some of our records have been more pop- or hip-hop/R&B-infused,” Smyers added. “On this record, I wanted to make tracks that we could hop up at any bar anywhere with our live band and play the songs as they were recorded. Ultimately, this music, this whole album, is something that I’ll be able to look back on in a decade or two and be really proud of the way it turned out.”
The duo recently revealed the last couple of years have been turbulent for the band in a video called “The Drive.” The short film showed Smyers and Mooney reflecting on nearly breaking up. Despite headlining a huge tour and winning three Grammys, the constant pace and career demands led to burnout. “I was in the lowest low of my entire life,” Smyers noted in the video. “Came off the road and I was like, ‘Man, I f–king hate music. I’m ready to quit.’”
Mooney added that frustrations between the two of them impacted their personal lives. “I could feel the separation, and I think there was little things between you and I that we never talked about. It was affecting everything. Not just our band. Like, my marriage, everything. I was in a really dark place.” He later added, “Especially at that point, I was drinking a lot. So those highs became really high, and the lows became really, really low.”
The two stopped speaking with each other for four months, before coming together in March 2022 to consider their future as a band. That conversation led the two to determine that they wanted to continue making music together, while committing to better communication.
“The thing that filled my cup the most was being in a room with you, making music together, Smyers tells Mooney in the video. “One of the most important things that’s ever happened in my life was Dan + Shay. If we’re gonna keep going forever, let’s get ourselves right.”
Dan + Shay are set to play the new tracks on July 21 as part of the Citi Concert Series on TODAY. The duo has also been announced as coaches for season 25 of NBC’s The Voice, where they will join Reba McEntire, John Legend, and Chance the Rapper.