Once you unpack the Nashville band The Prescriptions’ latest album Time Apart, you will have uncovered majestic gems covered with immaculate songwriting, romantic outlooks, and folk/pop melodies that will have you spinning the record repeatedly.  Coming off the heels of “April Blossoms” is the latest single “Long Past Tonight.”  Emerged in dazzling hooks and new wave influence, “Long Past Tonight” is a delight to hear, which you can do by clicking HERE.

Produced by Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes) and Brendan Benson (The Raconteurs), Time Apart finds The Prescriptions expanding their range — spacey neo-psych soundscapes, explorative indie rock, jangling heartland hooks — without sacrificing an ounce of their immediacy.

We caught up with lead vocalist/guitarist Hays Ragsdale to chat more about Time Apart and more.

What can you recall about the beginning stages of the group?

I remember just being really excited to play venues around Nashville like The 5 Spot and The Family Wash. We were just getting up on stage and doing it to see what happened, and then we did that enough times and we were all of a sudden a band. That’s really how it all started for us.

Being together for what seems not too long, when did it feel like everyone was on the same page?

Early on we were on the same page. If it takes a while to be on the same page with your band musically, you probably don’t last for as long as we have. Or if you do it’s probably really difficult and not much fun.

Going into the initial stages of the new album how much stress was there on yourselves to duplicate the success from your debut?

Not that much stress. It only got stressful when we were having to press pause on everything during the pandemic. All the delays and question marks were tough, just like it was for everybody.

Big Star and Elvis Costello have been mentioned as influences on the album.  What were you taking away from these acts that you felt should be incorporated into the new tracks?

They can just dip in and out of so many different types of songs. It’s like they’re fluent in 10 different music languages, and can put it together on one record.

The band worked with two extraordinary musicians in Ben and Brendan.  What were some of the biggest takeaways you observed when you were with them?

They were both great to work with. Both experiences were really important times in my life that I will always go back and reference. I learned that there are a lot of ways to go about working in a studio. Different people work different ways and it’s about finding what’s best for you in the moment you’re in. They also let us mess around with a bunch of gear they had. Which was great, too.

If the time allotted wasn’t due to the pandemic, do you feel that the process of creating the new album would not have happened?  Do you wonder if the album would have been different?

Yeah, that time in 2020-2021 definitely influenced this record. In more ways than I can count and may never fully understand how.

Listening to the album, there seems to be an emphasis on being more open lyrically.  Did time during the pandemic allow you to have time to be more introspective?

For sure. We all had a lot of time on our hands. I think it was probably a good thing for a lot of us, and I’m included in that. Just needed to stop and check my intentions or something.

Are there any nerves floating around as the album draws near its release date?

Yes! But we’re all excited to let this thing get out there and I hope people like it.

Time Apart is out November 18 via Single Lock Records.