When Luke Bryan played his new song "Love You, Miss You, Mean It" for his friends and family, he said everyone commented the song sounded like "vintage throwback Luke stuff."

He didn't hear the similarities when he listened to the song for the first time, but after they pointed it out, Bryan admitted, "It kind of does."

"I'm not thinking about that when I'm ingesting the song," he said. "I'm just loving it for what it is. And I think that the title 'Love You, Miss You, Mean It' is so identifiable."

Bryan loved the song, written by Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Jordan Minton and Jacob Rice, and said he thinks the storyline is almost universal.

"How many people have had the high school sweetheart that they broke up with and wound up living the story of getting back together and stuff like that," Bryan said. "I think the song just spoke to me on all those levels."

He admitted he and his wife, Caroline, were one of those couples who dated in college, broke up, and then got back together.

"The song just felt right," he said. "It felt good, and it felt that way from the first listen. I heard it, and it just felt like it had all the elements of a big hit song. You got to go in and record it and the rest is history. And here we are staring down the barrel of the next single."

The moody cover art for the song is a side shot of Bryan sitting in what looks like area seats. He said it might be the most straightforward photo shoot he's ever done. The "American Idol" judge was set to play the Houston Rodeo and knew he needed a picture for the single cover. The man who does Bryan's social content and concert shots was there and had a nice camera backstage. Bryan noticed the original seats for the Astrodome were in the hallway and he and his photographer took the opportunity for a quick photo shoot.

"I did my own makeup for that one," Bryan quipped, explaining the shoot took about 10 minutes. "We're backstage, and there's people everywhere. We had to kind of blur them out, but the photo turned out to work."

The singer joked that moving forward, he wanted every photo shoot to be as easy as that one.

"I get so busy out there that we start running behind on photo shoots," he said. "There's nothing's more frustrating than (spending) a good fishing day at a photo shoot. So when … this actually worked, I said, 'That'll be the new template for photo shoots from here on out.' I'll do them every day as long as they're 10 minutes long."

Bryan will launch his Mind Of A Country Boy Tour next week.

 “Mind Of A Country Boy Tour” Schedule

“Mind Of A Country Boy Tour” Schedule

4/17/2024 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome

4/18/2024 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place

4/24/2024 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre

4/25/2024 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre

6/13/2024 Jacksonville, FL VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena

6/14/2024 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf Amphitheater

6/15/2024 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf Amphitheater

6/21/2024 Endicott, NY En-Joie Golf Course*

6/22/2024 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live

6/27/2024 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena**

6/28/2024 Detroit, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre**

7/11/2024 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

7/12/2024 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center

7/13/2024 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

7/18/2024 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion

7/19/2024 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion

7/26/2024 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Omaha

7/27/2024 Ridgedale, MO Thunder Ridge Nature’s Arena**

7/28/2024 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

8/1/2024 Idaho Falls, ID Hero Arena Inside Mountain America Center

8/2/2024 Nampa, ID Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater

8/8/2024 San Diego, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

8/9/2024 Los Angeles, CA The Kia Forum

8/10/2024 San Bernardino, CA Glen Helen Amphitheater

8/15/2024 Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center

8/17/2024 Atlanta, GA Truist Park

8/22/2024 Oklahoma City, OK Paycom Center

8/24/2024 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena

8/25/2024 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field

9/5/2024 Somerset, WI Somerset Amphitheater

9/7/2024 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center

9/12/2024 West Palm Beach, FL iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre**

9/14/2024 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre