American Authors

American Authors is an American rock band based in New York City currently signed to Island Records. It currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Zac Barnett, lead guitarist and banjoist James Adam Shelley, bassist Dave Rublin, and drummer Matt Sanchez.

Since their 2012 emergence, American Authors have set the stage for such evolution. By 2018, they impressively generated over 1 billion global streams on a string of alternately striking and soaring smashes. Their inescapable and instantly recognizable breakthrough “Best Day of My Life” earned a triple-platinum certification from the RIAA and vaulted to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to receiving countless film, television, video game, and sports syncs. Their 2014 full-length debut, "Oh, What A Life," achieved gold status, while the follow-up "What We Live For," spawned another Top 20 hit, “Go Big or Go Home,” in 2016. Along the way, they sold out shows around the globe and ignited stages at festivals, including Lollapalooza, Firefly Music Festival, BottleRock Napa Valley, Reading Festival, and Leeds Festival, to name a few. As early as March 2017, the group commenced writing their next chapter.

Rather than tread familiar territory and record in Los Angeles or New York, they retreated to a mountainside studio twenty minutes away from downtown Nashville. Surrounded by woods and overlooking nature, they quite literally experienced all four seasons of Tennessee weather from winter snow to summer sun. Simultaneously, they embraced formative nineties influences, spanning alternative stalwarts such as Weezer and Nirvana and West Coast rap a la Tupac. Beyond embracing analog synths, they proudly incorporated “more guitar.” Settling into this mountain hideaway, they wrote 40-plus songs in between “watching the leaves turn, clouds roll in, and hawks in the sky,” as Matt recalls. Collaborating alongside producers Cason Cooley and Trent Dabbs, the band leveled up their signature sound. In the end, their 2019 album "Seasons" shows American Authors at their purest and most powerful.