Sugarland photo by Jennifer Tzar, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Contemporary country acts borrow rather blatantly from other genres — particularly Southern rock and arena rock — but with their new album The Incredible Machine, Sugarland is taking the unorthodox step of wedding country with sounds inspired by the post-new wave era of the 1980s.

Acts like Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure and Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark blended pop and rock and a strong fashion sense in that time period, and a lot of it found its way into movie soundtracks. Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush were in their teens at the time, and that sound from their youth is part of the creative foundation for the duo’s forthcoming project.

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Reba McEntire photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

With fall looming, country stars are lining up with dates for new albums and with some brand new singles.

Among the acts with new songs in release are Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney and Sugarland, each of whom put out a new single in the last three weeks. Reba’s “Turn On The Radio” comes from an album due in November — her first with in-demand producer Dann Huff, known for his work with Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts. Kenny’s new song, “The Boys Of Fall,” embraces high-school football, and it landed in country’s Top 15 in just its second week on the charts. And Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue” was written with two other people, including a member of the rock band Better Than Ezra.

Here’s what they’re saying about their new music:

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Sugarland photo by Jennifer Tzar, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

The next Sugarland album, The Incredible Machine, is set for release Oct. 19, and the duo is working diligently to get that machine in working order.

All the songs have been recorded and mixed, but one of the last pieces of the puzzle is a make-or-break element, and they haven’t quite figured it out yet.

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Sugarland photo by Jennifer Tzar, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Sugarland has set a release date for the duo’s much-talked-about next album, The Incredible Machine, but the twosome has been holding out on the first single.

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush hit the road this year with the Incredible Machine Tour, but they decided not to unveil the album’s initial release, “Stuck Like Glue,” onstage. They co-wrote it with two guys have strong non-country ties. Shy Carter wrote Rob Thomas’ current pop hit “Someday.” Kevin Griffin is a founding member of Better Than Ezra, a rock band best known for the hit “Good.” Sugarland’s drummer, Travis McNabb, spent more than a decade with Ezra and remains on good terms with the group.

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