Parmalee

Hailing from North Carolina, Parmalee fuses Southern country-rock with pop and hip-hop touches while exploring themes of romance, regional pride, and celebration through expansive heartland arrangements and hooks that linger. Steady recording and touring marked the 2000s for the outfit, yet national notice arrived only with the 2013 album Feels Like Carolina, propelled by the singles "Carolina," "Close Your Eyes," and "Already Callin' You Mine." The follow-up 27861 also earned favor from listeners and reviewers, yielding two Billboard Country Airplay leaders: 2020's "Just the Way" featuring Blanco Brown and 2021's "Take My Name," both included on the band's For You LP issued that July.

The quartet comprises brothers Matt Thomas on guitar and vocals with Scott Thomas on drums, cousin Barry Knox on bass, and childhood companion Josh McSwain on guitar and keyboards, all raised near Greenville, North Carolina. Their father's local group provided the entry point; as teenagers the siblings performed in it under the billing Jerry Thomas & the Thomas Brothers Band and soon brought Knox aboard. Following the elder Thomas's retirement from the stage, the brothers and cousin sustained activity as the Thomas Brothers Band across nearby bars, where encounters with McSwain—then thriving in a cover act—led to his sitting in during 2001 and the eventual rechristening as Parmalee.

Bluegrass, traditional country, Southern rock, and blues converge in the group's crisp, professional country-rock approach, aided by robust songcraft and multi-instrumental facility from each member. The Daylight EP surfaced in 2002, the full-length Inside in 2004, and the Complicated EP in 2008. Signing with Stoney Creek Records produced the 2012 single "Musta Had a Good Time" and the 2013 track "Carolina," the latter a platinum-certified Country Airplay number one issued ahead of Feels Like Carolina at year's end. "Close Your Eyes" climbed to number four on Country Airplay and extended the album's chart run through 2014, while "Already Callin' You Mine" wrapped the cycle in early 2015. Fresh material returned in 2016 with "Roots," and summer 2017 brought "Sunday Morning," the second single from 27861; despite reaching number 22 on Country Albums and number 146 on the Billboard 200, that set sold less robustly than its predecessor. The 2019 single "Just the Way," an upbeat love song with guest vocals from rapper Blanco Brown, topped Country Airplay, as did the follow-up "Take My Name," setting up For You in July 2021. Parmalee's first offering of 2022 arrived as "Girl in Mine."