Things just got a whole lot fuzzier for fans of The Cadillac Three, as the Nashville band dropped a surprise album on October 23 that mashes up a number of their musical influences. Tabasco & Sweet Tea follows their release of Country Fuzz in February. Both projects arrived via Big Machine Records.

“As we finished the last record, we knew we were only tapping the surface with songs like ‘The Jam’ for where we could go next musically and found ourselves inspired to dive into these sounds that we had never explored before as a band,” says drummer Neil Mason. “We’ve always had a lot of influences, but ultimately found ourselves thinking about what we were listening to in high school -- The Meters, Stevie Wonder, Medeski Martin & Wood and John Scofield.”

Lead singer and guitarist Jaren Johnston wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks on the set. He adds, “This album is a science project … constantly moving in different directions but keeping one cohesive feel throughout. We kind of have this innate thing going after all these years so it’s cool to kind of stretch into some new musical spaces with elements of a DJ set that flows from track to track, but mixed with '80s funk vibes and jam-band flow over hardcore country lyrics.”

In a gesture of goodwill, the guys are even selling the project for $3.99 in its first week of release.

“We wouldn’t be where we are without our fans,” says bassist Kelby Ray. “We lost the ability to tour and know many of our fans have also lost their ability to work consistently this year so we wanted to find a way to provide this album as cost effectively as we could. Our hope is that everyone who wants Tabasco & Sweet Tea can get it without breaking the bank.”