The Way It Feels (Maddie & Tae album)

The Way It Feels is the second studio album by American country music duo Maddie & Tae. It was released on April 10, 2020. It is a concept album and serves as the follow-up to their 2015 debut album Start Here.

Background
After releasing their debut album in 2015 with Dot Records, the label announced that they would be shutting down in early 2017. At the time, the duo had already begun working on their second album.

In June 2017, the duo announced that they had signed with Universal Music Group under their Mercury Nashville imprint. Marlow revealed that they "started fresh" and got to work writing new songs for their sophomore record. By the summer of 2018, the duo revealed that the album had been completed and was awaiting a release date, though "Bathroom Floor" was a track that ended up being added to the album in 2019.

Prior to the release of their second album, the duo released two five-track EPs: One Heart to Another in April 2019 and Everywhere I'm Goin' in October 2019. All ten tracks appear on The Way It Feels.

Singles
"Friends Don't" was released on May 14, 2018, as the duo's first single off of their sophomore album. The song served as their first single in two years and the first to be released under Mercury Nashville.

The album's second single, "Die from a Broken Heart," was released on October 20, 2018. Both singles had first appeared on the duo's EP One Heart to Another that was released in April 2019.

Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the duo "and their cast of supporting writers know how to sculpt tuneful, sincere country tunes and their harmonies aren't merely convincing, but prove a balm, sounding sweet and soulful even underneath the layers of gloss by producers Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells."

Personnel
Adapted from the album's liner notes.


 * Musicians
 * Derek Wells – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, B-3, mandolin
 * Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo
 * Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar
 * Kris Donegan – electric guitar
 * Russ Pahl – steel guitar
 * Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
 * Tony Lucido – bass guitar
 * Jerry Roe – drums
 * Fred Eltringham – drums
 * Evan Hutchings – drums
 * David Dorn – piano, B-3, synth, Wurlitzer, keyboards


 * Production
 * Jimmy Robbins – producer, programming
 * Derek Wells – producer
 * Ben West – programming
 * Ben Fowler – engineer
 * Josh Ditty – assistant engineer
 * Lowell Reynolds – assistant engineer
 * Justin Neibank – mixing
 * Dave Clauss – mixing ("My Man", "Drunk or Lonely")
 * Ben Phillips – digital editing
 * Buckley Miller – digital editing
 * Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordination
 * Adam Ayan – mastering


 * Imagery
 * Karen Naff – art direction and design
 * Carlos Rios – photography
 * Amber Cannon – hair
 * Neil Robison – makeup
 * Tiffany Gifford – wardrobe stylist
 * Kera Jackson – art production