Love and Theft

The pop-country duo Love and Theft revolves around the vivid vocal harmonies delivered by Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles. Following an initial burst of success that saw “Runaway” climb to number ten on the country chart in 2009 and “Angel Eyes” reach the summit two years later, the pair settled into a smooth, melodic style that let them evolve with shifting tastes. Once evoking a leaner Rascal Flatts, they later incorporated adult-alternative textures on their fourth album, Need to Breathe, issued in 2023, while retaining a distinct country core.

Formed in Nashville during 2006, the group began as a trio when vocalists and songwriters Gunderson, Liles, and Brian Bandas rotated lead duties and supplied lush background vocals. Their energetic live performances, marked by bright, versatile arrangements, quickly built a loyal audience. An ASCAP showcase led to a contract with the Disney-backed country imprint Lyric Street Records. Produced by Jeff Coplan and Robert Ellis Orrall, the resulting debut, World Wide Open, appeared on the affiliate label CarolWood Records in mid-2009. Its lead single, “Runaway,” peaked at number ten on the country singles tally, and the album itself entered the country Top Ten. Disney shuttered both Lyric Street and CarolWood in April 2010, prompting a label search; Bandas departed in 2011, leaving Gunderson and Liles to continue as a duo.

Later that year they signed with RCA Nashville. The single “Angel Eyes” topped the country chart, and the self-titled follow-up album reached number four on the country albums survey. After completing most of a third project, however, they parted ways with RCA amid a dispute and launched their own Hate & Purchase Music imprint. Whiskey on My Breath arrived as a self-release in February 2015; its title track rose to number thirty-one on the country singles chart. In 2016 the pair joined Curb Records, which promptly reissued the album. Although new singles followed under the Curb banner, nearly nine years passed before Need to Breathe finally surfaced in December 2023.