Thompson Square is back. Several years ago, you couldn’t get through an awards show without watching Shawna and Keifer Thompson pick up trophies or flirt their way through a performance of their biggest single, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not.” After parting ways with their longtime label, Stoney Creek Records, the duo took time off to focus on family, but last week the pair’s hiatus officially ended.
After teasing new music for quite some time, Thompson Square finally announced their new record, Masterpiece. The record doesn’t officially release until June 1, but five songs are already available for fans to pore over. Given their substantial break from the business and that this record was done independently, it’s a smart move. The five tracks are a great way get the word out and rustle up interest from people who might have forgotten about them.
Not that the couple has made it easy for Country music fans to forget them. Aside from the omnipresence of “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” on Country radio, Thompson Square are also avid social media users. In recent months, they took to Facebook Live nearly every week to host “Wino Wednesday.” During the broadcast they answer questions and play through some songs. The couple also posts snippets of their family and tour life on their Instagram account, making their lives an open book for all who are interested.
Not only is Thompson Square back, but they’re coming in hot. Of the new songs currently available, a couple already seem to have the potential to surpass their previous hits’ successes. The title track, for instance, beautifully illustrates the importance of their break, spinning the idea that the duo’s “masterpiece” is their family. The tone is reminiscent of Dan + Shay’s “From the Ground Up,” but Thompson Square manages to put its own spin on it. “A Love Like This,” though, is the standout of the new tracks. It follows a relationship from budding romance to a sweet new baby — something the couple knows plenty about, given their recently expanded family. If this is what they sound like without a record label to guide them, going independent might have just been the best move for Thompson Square.
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This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 4, 2018.