Eli Young Band

What goes around comes around, and nearly 25 years since their founding in Denton, Texas, multi-Platinum country band Eli Young Band have come home

Led by an unmistakable vocal and bringing a Texas-rock edge to modern country, the never-changing lineup of Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones, and Chris Thompson have spent two-plus decades on the run, growing from hometown heroes into globe-trotting, chart-topping pioneers. Yet in all that time, EYB never forgot its raising, and today the foursome reclaim the spirit behind their success.

“We started this thing when we were like 20 years old, and it’s been such a crazy road and such a longer road than any of us could have conceptualized at the time,” says Jones. “I think right now feels a little full circle, in a really nice way.”

Likewise, back-to-back Number One singles came with the 5X Platinum “Crazy Girl” in 2011 and 3X Platinum “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (2012), plus the Platinum Number One “Drunk Last Night” and 2X Platinum Number One “Love Ain’t” after that. All along they kept the intensity of their live shows front and center, and with a following which now includes more than 1.4 million Facebook followers, 2.2 million monthly Spotify listeners and more, it’s time to get back to the point.

Ready to follow up 2022’s Love Talking, the band have returned to Panhandle House Studio in their hometown of Denton – the same studio where Level was born – bringing new tunes and new excitement along with them. All co-written as a band or with long-trusted collaborators, a fresh batch of songs return EYB to the raw, grassroots energy and emotional sting of their early work, geared for the stage and recorded without digital tricks.

The comfort level is plainly evident. Exploring new corners of their patented sound by day, and going home to their families each night, the band were free to bring every ounce of the last 25 years to bear. Tracks like the lead single “Home In Hometown” are proof, featuring all the elements that made EYB what it is – from the electric vocal delivery to the deeply textured sonics and soulful theme.

More new tunes rolled out as their 25th anniversary arrived, with the band continuing to celebrate an EYB homecoming. The band’s newest album Strange Hours arrived on August 1, 2025 and features 13 songs – all co-written by Eli Young Band members. Jimmy Robbins and Eric Arjes produced 12 of the 13 tracks, while “Bad Luck” was produced by Julian Raymond and Scott Borchetta. From feel-good singalongs and heart melting wedding anthems to pure, untamable romance and clever comebacks of love, they show the same stage-rocking Texas-country hit makers fans know and love, undaunted and with new maturity baked in. We all know seasons change, but if you pay attention long enough, things have a way of coming back around.

“It’s been a blessing just to be able to do this for so long, and over our career we’ve seen a lot of bands come and go,” Young says. “It feels it’s family, and we can take that with us as we go down this next part of the road.”

“Our music, since it’s been the four of us making it from day one, has such a strong through line,” Jones agrees. “The way we sounded in the beginning, that’s the way we’re going to sound in the end.”