The story of Explorer Tapes is a classic tale of popular music. Two musicians from the Dallas/Fort Worth area took a life-long friendship and decide to start a band. They gathered some additional talented musicians from the surrounding area, wrote songs, played shows, make videos, then packed everyone in a van and drive to Los Angeles with the hope of getting signed to a publishing company, a record label, or even better - both! This is, in fact, what happened. Not long after reaching LA, Max Townsley and Drew Erickson, aka Explorer Tapes, signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music. After writing many songs with more established writers like David Baerwald (David & David), Dillon O'Brian (Adam Cohen, Neville Brothers), and Steve Lindsey (Julie Brown, Martini Ranch) - the duo even get one of their songs ("Texas Time") recorded by Keith Urban, featured on his sixth No. 1 Country Album. The group soon signs to Warner Bros. Records. The label assigned hot producer Mike Elizondo, a protégé of Dr. Dre and known for his production of artists as varied as 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple and Twenty One Pilots, to record and produce Explorer Tapes. The songs and recordings came together quickly and the album was more or less done in three weeks in January 2015.