|PIC1|“We’re from a small town in South Carolina called Possum Kingdom. Trust me – there was absolutely no music scene there,” explains Needtobreathe frontman Bear Rinehart when asked about the place he and his younger brother/co-writer Bo were raised.

And, though he makes light of it, the relative isolation that came with growing up in such an environment must have played some part in fostering the independent-minded approach the Rinehart boys would later bring to their band.

In this way, it makes perfect sense that Needtobreathe’s third album is called The Outsiders - and listening to the anthemic title track that opens the 14-song collection, it’s clear that they embrace this label as both a badge of honour and a battle cry.

The Outsiders sees Needtobreathe truly come into their own, seamlessly blending ambient, arena-ready soundscapes with a decidedly Southern sensibility.

“The ‘Southern thing’ is very scary to some people,” Bear laughs. “But for us, it’s not so much a sound than a feeling. It’s just about having some soul in the words you write, the music that you play. And it’s something that just comes naturally to us.”

It might also be that “Southern thing” that lends a soulful warmth to Bear’s distinct voice, providing the perfect foil to each song. From the soaring majesty of “Something Beautiful” to the philosophically minded ballad “These Hard Times”, his vocals are emotive yet honest, making the words he’s singing all the more powerful and moving.

“Stones Under Rushing Water” (featuring Sara Watkins) is achingly beautiful, both musically and, perhaps even more so, lyrically. “My favourite love songs are the ones that say things in the simplest terms,” Bear says.

Then there’s the blues-inflected rocker “Prisoner” with its searing guitar solo – a first for the band.

“It’s about as ‘Smoke On The Water’ as Needtobreathe gets,” Bear jokes.

The alt-rock edge of “Hurricane” is countered by the back-porch ease of “Won’t Turn Back” and the gospel feel of “Lay ‘Em Down”.

The Peter Gabriel-esque anthem “Through Smoke” (inspired by a toy organ the group bought at a thrift store) and the orchestrally driven “Garden”, build on the album’s wide range of sounds.

And while they defy any restrictions to the style of music they play, Needtobreathe has a very clear idea of how they want their songs to sound.

“Over the past two albums, we’ve learned that you can’t look to a producer to make you great, that the magic has to come from within the band,” Bear explains. “Instead, we wanted to work with collaborators that would bring a fresh perspective and, on the practical side, a particular expertise to the table.”

To that end, the band deliberately chose to co-produce The Outsiders with three different producers with recording sessions taking place in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Charleston.

Without a doubt, Needtobreathe are extremely proud of The Outsiders and can’t wait to see what will unfold for the band next. “This band is our life…it’s everything, really the only thing, that we’ve done for the last 10 years,” Bear continues, explaining that the band literally poured everything they had into The Outsiders. “We know this is the best record we’ve ever made.”