Yes, Maddie & Tae, you two are so much more than the beautiful girls in a country song … but doggone if y’all don’t make two gorgeous cover girls on the artwork for your debut album, Start Here.

The duo just released the official album cover shot for the project, and I must say, they are looking mighty grown up and yet fresh-faced all at the same time.

It’s artistic and honestly stunning. The no-frills photo definitely echoes their mature musical sensibilities and reminds us that these girls have something to say and should be taken seriously.

And their big debut is something both Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye take very seriously. In fact, that’s the reason why they pushed back the album’s release date to early fall.

The two found themselves rushing to finish the album around their intense schedule of appearances.

“What we had was good … but we knew it could be so much better,” Marlow said. “Our label understood when we went to them to say we needed more time.”

“We wanted to get the feel -- the sound of it -- and the music right,” Dye chimed in. “You only make your first album once.”

But despite all the serious strategizing and planning, the two did manage to have heaps of fun while shooting this carefully crafted album cover.

With the help of A-list photographer Allister Ann, known for capturing the Civil Wars, they were able to frolic around Nashville and just be themselves during the shoot. Marlow says the two literally tossed a few outfits in a bag, did their own makeup and struck out to capture the real Maddie & Tae.

“The thing about us that really defines Maddie and I is we’re not those girls who want to spend a lot of time getting our hair done,” Dye said. “We’d rather be out on a four-wheeler, playing guitar or just hanging out, having fun. That’s what the songs are made of. We thought the pictures should look like that, too.”

Start Here hits stores Aug. 28. Maddie & Tae will be performing on the Nationwide stage during the 2015 CMT Music Awards airing live from downtown Nashville on Wednesday (June 10) at 8 p.m. ET/PT.