Maddie & Tae's new The Way It Feels album is personal in ways that are obvious and not. The duo tell Taste of Country that a heartbreaker called "Ain't There Yet" didn't stem from heartbreak, but the song about an alcoholic was inspired by someone they know with an alcohol problem.

They also reveal something about the lyrics to "Lay Here With Me" that everyone overlooked. This collaboration with Dierks Bentley is about as steamy as it gets in country music.

During a recent Facebook Live interview, Maddie & Tae opened up about the nearly five years between albums, admitting that even though trying to release and promote The Way It Feels while sheltering has been challenging, there was no way they were going to push it back any further.

It's been a journey for Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye since dropping their debut Start Here album in 2015. Their record label folded and they shuffled to a new label group home. Dye broke up with a longtime boyfriend and married her new boyfriend, Josh Kerr. Marlow married her high school love, Jonah Font.

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Through it all, the quality of their music remained consistent, but songs like "Friends Don't" didn't gain enough traction to put out a record against, so they waited. And waited. And waited ...

In 2019 they toured with Carrie Underwood, and they credit those five months on the road for tremendous personal and professional growth. An optimist might say that's the kind of opportunity the universe asked them to be patient for, but it's clear Dye and Marlow weren't willing to be patient any longer.

Nor should they be. The Way It Feels finds Maddie & Tae as two adult women navigating the world as lovers, daughters, friends and businesswomen. It's a dynamic collection of songs, all but one co-written by the "Girl in a Country Song" hitmakers. Their ability to comfortably handle sensitive topics personal to a wide range of age groups and experiences separates them from other artists at a similar stage in their career. Marlow and Dye are remarkably empathetic, but also willing to share their own vulnerabilities.

Below are five truths about their lives and this new album, as picked out of the interview above. We've included time codes if you'd like to fast-forward to your favorite moments. Marlow and Dye talked to Taste of Country Nights hosts Evan and Amber from their respective homes in Middle Tennessee.