Jake Owen knows how to do summertime right, and he's returning to his wheelhouse for a new single, "Good Company."

The country star first posted the new song online for his fans to hear last summer, in advance of his fifth studio album, American Love. Owen built quite a bit of his success with chillaxed, good-time beach and summer songs, but a few years ago he said he was going to aim at something different.

“A lot of folks think I’m just the ‘Beachin” guy, I’m the f—ing beach bum,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013, adding that he intended to change that perception. “For the first time in my career, I feel like it’s imperative for me to put out a song that offers some validity.”

He did exactly that with songs like "Days of Gold" and "What We Ain't Got," and "Real Life" was a step in another direction altogether, but it didn't catch fire at country radio, and Owen admits he's given some time to wondering why he's not getting the same commercial results.

“I kind of relate it to — I was a golfer growing up and I’ve got buddies out there on the PGA tour. When you’re used to winning, you wanna finish first place all the time," he relates. "When you’re coming in at like 12th place, 13th place a couple times in a row, you’re like, ‘Okay, what’s going on here? Maybe I need to reroute my swing, maybe I need to get back to what was working.'"

"Good Company" certainly does that, returning Owen to a mid-tempo groove and a beach-y lyric that's perfect for summer. Sonically, he mixes in some steel drums and horns for a fun, entertaining track that makes the listener want to take the rest of the day off and relax with some friends and a few drinks.

Listen to Jake Owen, "Good Company" 

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