We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.
Country artist Devin Cooper and his fans might know better than anyone right now that ‘good things take time.’ Since releasing his debut ‘Good Things’ EP in 2022, Devin has been hard at work writing and recording new music, perfecting his sound, playing shows, growing his audience, and living and enjoying life on the side (the musical inspiration has to come from somewhere!). His fans, meanwhile, have ate up a successful string of standalone singles, including this year’s “She’s My Religion” and “Wanted Man.”
Devin is now expanding his ‘Good Things’ sonic universe with ‘Good Things: Deluxe Edition,’ which features those standalone singles and two brand-new tracks — “Leave It To Chance” and “Dying To Be Seen.” Like the EP, the full album also includes live acoustic recordings that elevate each song’s raw emotions and country-rock vocals to a whole new level.
Join in the ‘Good Things: Deluxe Edition’ release day celebrations and read our new chat with Devin where he spills the tea on the “little lessons” he’s learned throughout life, the ideal album listening experience, and your next chance to see him live.
You recently played several summer festivals including NXNE, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, and Calgary Stampede. How else has 2024 been treating you?
This year has been chaotic in the best way possible. It’s been a lot of running around literally all over the country, like you said, and there’s been a ton of shows, a lot of fun, and getting ready for this album to come out.
Why did you decide to continue the ‘Good Things’ era versus releasing an entirely new album or EP?
As I started writing new songs that were supposed to be set for my sophomore record, I realized that I hadn’t really said everything I wanted to say on that first EP. The new stories were still a continuation of this ‘Good Things’ story. I wanted to put everything together to finish the story before I moved on to the next thing.
You released “Underdog” at the end of 2022, “The Other Guy” and “What You Don’t Know” in 2023, and “She’s My Religion” and “Wanted Man” this year. How has the response been to those songs, and did any of that feedback impact the way you went into finishing this album?
I feel very fortunate to have a lot of great support from the local Alberta radio stations, as well as from all the fans showing up to all the shows. It’s cool to see this growing a little bit at a time and see more people coming on board with that steady trajectory that you always want to have. I was able to look again at the whole story and the whole picture that was unfolding with these songs and how they all kind of integrated and work together, and how they really were a part of that ‘good things take time’ story. It’s basically all the little lessons that I’ve learned at this point in my life.
Were any of these new songs ready or in progress when you were putting together the initial EP? How long has this full-length, double-album concept been in your back pocket?
I’d always wanted to do a double album, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a continuation of the ‘Good Things’ project at first. I wrote “Dying To Be Seen” back in early 2019 – actually the same weekend writing retreat that we wrote “Wanted Man.” I’d been trying to figure out the best place to put it because I felt like it wasn’t necessarily a single but it was a really great song to wrap up an album. As we were going through all of the context of what we’d had in this record and the lessons I had touched on throughout the album, that song in particular was one that I went back on and was like, I think we have to add this one. I’m excited for it to come out and for everybody to hear it.
You recorded the live acoustic tracks in Calgary with 40 of your biggest supporters in the studio. Why was it important for you to include those on the initial EP and then again on the full album, and did you approach the acoustic recordings any differently than the studio recordings?
It was an experience that I had never done before. We were in the studio where we recorded all of the full band stuff, except we were just set up in a row with 40 seats in front of us. Everyone in the room had their own set of headphones so they could listen to the producers talk to us from the control room. We did two takes of every song, so the first take, the whole audience was completely quiet, and then the second take, we had them clap at the end. It was cool to see the excitement on their faces and watch them be able to listen to the producers tell us what to adjust for the next take. They really got to see behind the scenes of how songs are recorded and how they come to life.
There is always so much magic in those intimate shows where fans want to record every song, but in this case they wouldn’t have to do that. It’s right here on the album for them.
That was really cool. No one was allowed to bring any of their cell phones, but we had disposable cameras that we put under a few different seats for people to take pictures throughout the night. We were able to develop those and get some really cool photos from the night through the audience’s perspective of what they were seeing. And yeah, it’s really cool because no one had to film it, no one had to record it. We did all that for them. So, we could give that copy to everybody who attended that night and then release it to the world.
You’ve already shared your excitement on Instagram that this album is your first vinyl release. As an artist who is also a music lover, what does that mean to you, and can you share some of the vinyl releases you’ve loved at first listen over the years?
Vinyl is something I’ve always wanted to do, and with this deluxe edition project, it was something I knew we had to do. Just taking it over the top and having it made right here in Calgary was really cool as well. So, getting that first vinyl and being able to open it and really see it in my hands was an unbelievable experience. Growing up, I listened to a lot of my parents’ records, which were like old Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and then big hair metal and hard rock bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest and Mötley Crüe. It’s cool to be able to add this to the collection amongst all those names that I listened to.
The vinyl is split into a side A and side B, plus sides C and D for the respective acoustic recordings. When you were putting the final track list together, was that a consideration at all?
Absolutely. When I first put the track listing together, it was a collaborative effort between me and my producers, and we kind of went back and forth and built this story as one complete story. It was interesting when I then got the vinyl and was able to actually listen to side A and then stop and flip it over and listen to side B. It is almost two separate stories the way that they’ve been split up, and it’s cool because that actually wasn’t even an intentional thought. It gives it another perspective because if you’re listening digitally, you’re going to listen to all 11 in order, but with the vinyl, you have that break you can’t really avoid.
I feel like we now have to go back and listen to the album again! So, what ultimately is the message that you hope to leave fans with once they get to the end of these 11, or technically 22, tracks (including the live acoustic recordings!)?
It’s basically just that good things take time and enjoy the process because we only get to do this once. I know for me, a lot of the growth and learning that I did was learning to enjoy the moment and enjoy what’s happening right in front of me, rather than looking at the destination of where I’m trying to go. We can get so caught up in trying to get to where we’re going, sometimes we forget about the things that are happening around us in the middle of it.
If someone is just discovering you for the first time, what three songs would you recommend they play to get the best representation of Devin Cooper the artist?
Man, that’s a tough question. I would say… the title track “Good Things,” “Underdog,” and if I have to pick only one more, I think “Dying To Be Seen.” It has a little more of the Southern rock, swampy edge to it and pays tribute to some of the stuff I listened to growing up.
How do you plan to celebrate the release of the ‘Good Things: Deluxe Edition,’ and should fans be on the lookout for any new tour dates so they can further join in the festivities?
We had a very small, exclusive listening party with a bunch of my closest fans and supporters and some family. As the record comes out, we’re also going to be announcing a bunch of shows that will be happening throughout September, October, and November. People can stay tuned for lots of exciting stuff coming.
