Where It All Began

The country-pop duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney don’t bother striking faux-rebel poses when celebrating the joys of falling in love and keeping the fire alive. Their debut, Where It All Began, is an unabashedly romantic set filled with nostalgic vignettes (“19 You + Me,” “First Time Feeling”) and steamy backroads snapshots (“Somewhere Only We Know,” “Parking Brake”). The music is honeyed yet muscular, accented by hip-hop vocal moves, banjo licks, and bursts of rock guitar. Dan and Shay bind it all together with impeccable harmonies that especially shine on ballads like “I Heard Goodbye” and “Close Your Eyes.”