ATL cinematic psych-country duo Andrea & Mud (Andrea Colburn and Kyle “Mud” Moseley) found themselves living in a converted barn in the middle-of-nowhere northern Georgia. There they wrote the songs that make up their new album Institutionalized (out Apr. 19). On this record, they dig into their deepest, darkest cores to mine the essence of what made classic country great—putting their relationship and mental health issues front and center.

“I come from a generation where we didn’t take medication,” says Colburn. “We didn’t go to therapy. We were supposed to just smile and get through it. I think a lot of people still live like that. Music is therapy for some people. I know it is for me.”

Their honesty, originality and extraordinary songwriting chops has garnered them coverage at American Songwriter, Glide, Ditty TV, and more. You can hear their music in the Rian Johnson series Poker Face, and the Sean Baker feature film Red Rocket. They’ve been nominated for an Ameripolitan Award, Independent Music Award, and won the Georgia Music Award for Best Americana Band. They’ve shared stages with legends like Ronnie Spector, Marty Stuart, Jimmie Vaughan and The B-52’s, and newer Americana darlings like Sierra Ferrell, Lost Dog Street Band, Pokey Lafarge, and The Red Clay Strays.

The album kicks off with the honky-tonk fun-time title-track, “Institutionalized.” Here, the duo effortlessly mesh the Bakersfield Sound with Stax soul to create their own delirious country shuffle. Its galloping bass line, big horns and rowdy surf guitar makes this song feel like a joy, even though its catalyst was an argument with tempers flaring. “I’m committed / To loving you,” Moseley sings in his charming baritone, “I may have lost my marbles / My screws are loose / The pain inside I can no longer hide / From the things you’ve done to me / I’m Institutionalized / Won’t you set me free.”

“Me and Andrea got into a fight,” says Moseley. “I went outside and came back in with this song written in like 20 minutes. My friend had sent us this playlist called Psycho Country which was a big inspiration on this whole album. Porter Wagoner’s song ‘The Rubber Room’ was on it, and we were listening to it all the time. Between the isolation of the pandemic and living in the barn, I felt like I was losing it.”

“This Time” is a tragic ballad whose lyrical ultimatum of “choose the bottle or me” is carried by Colburn’s mournful vocals and her near-duet with Smoking Brett Resnick’s emotive pedal steel. This song stands toe-to-toe with Neko Case or Loretta Lynn at their most sorrowful. “I had a bad drinking problem in the relationship,” says Colburn.”It sounds like I’m singing it to a lover, but I’m really singing about myself.” Like the Hank Williams III modern classic “Country Heroes,” this song interweaves its own winking homages to the greats who came before them: Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and George Jones.