Wild Ones

Wild Ones is the second studio album by American country music artist Kip Moore, released on August 21, 2015, via MCA Nashville. Following the success of his 2012 debut effort Up All Night, Moore reteamed with producer Brett James and brought in Chris DeStefano to work on new material for his next country album, crafting a more organic hard rock sound that supports the personal stories told throughout the thirteen tracks he co-wrote. Reviews for the record were positive, with critics praising Moore for incorporating rock elements throughout the track listing. Wild Ones debuted at numbers two and four on the Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts, respectively. It spawned two singles: "I'm to Blame" and "Running for You". To promote the album, Moore performed on talk shows and headlined tours across North America. Background and development Moore released his debut studio album Up All Night on April 24, 2012. It garnered favorable reviews from critics, who praised the vocal delivery and lyrical storytelling. To promote the album, Moore spent the rest of 2012 and 2013 touring across the United States. Moore expressed excitement about preparing his sophomore effort, saying if the debut album was a "very nostalgic, looking back – type record", this would be "sonically and lyrically" intense and focus on the present. In November 2013, Moore released "Young Love", the leadoff single that underperformed on the Billboard Country charts. In April 2014, he announced that he delayed the album's May release until the summer, and released its next single "Dirt Road". After "Dirt Road" stalled on the radio and the album's expected fall release was pushed back into 2015, Moore scrapped it entirely to write and record a collection of new material. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Moore said that the overall sound of the album was more organic after several soundchecks creating different grooves and having the band play various parts of the songs. He also co-wrote all thirteen tracks on the record. Wild Ones was released on August 21, 2015, by MCA Nashville. Music and lyrics The opening title track was described by Jon Freeman of Nash Country Weekly as "a simmering hymn about partying all night long." The song utilizes a "U2-ish synth" as a bassline for the drum-based percussion, banjos and hand claps throughout the arrangement.