One Day explores that brand of defiant optimism with a simplicity and sincerity that belies the uncertainty and chaos that surrounded its creation. The songs are tender and timeless, with straightforward arrangements centered around Jack Torrey and Page Burkum’s airtight harmonies, and the performances are warm and intimate, delivered with a gentle touch and understated production. While The Cactus Blossoms have drawn frequent comparisons to other musical siblings like the Everlys and Louvins over the years, One Day often suggests a more soulful, ’70s-inspired palette, hinting at times to Bobby Charles or JJ Cale with its playful Wurlitzer, breezy guitars, and lean, muscular percussion. The band’s classic country and old-school pop roots are still there, of course, but the growth and evolution underlying One Day is obvious, not only in the duo’s writing, but in their core philosophy, as well.

“From the start, we knew we wanted to keep the instrumentation minimal and consistent across the whole album and embrace the dryness that came with recording in Page’s basement,” says Torrey. “We wanted it to sound raw.”

That rawness fuels One Day, which opens with the steady-cruising “Hey Baby.” Like much of The Cactus Blossoms’ catalog, the song operates on multiple levels: take it at face value and it’s a playful little track about a roadtrip in a rusty old truck; zoom out, though, and there’s a deeper message about the power (or naïveté, depending on your perspective) of positive thinking. “I hope it all works out,” the brothers sing in exquisite harmony. “It always works out.”