Evans Blue's Dan Chandler talks "Graveyard of Empires"

"We did what we wanted to do. We took our time with everything. We wanted things to be catchy, but at the end of the day, that's our style and that's the type of music we like, anyway."

Chandler -- who is joined in Evans Blue by rhythm guitarist Parker Lauzon, lead guitarist Vlad Tanaskovic, drummer Dusty Saxton and bassist Joe Pitter -- said the project came about organically.

"Being in the band myself almost four years, you reach another level of friendship and trust and all that," Chandler said. "You're constantly getting closer and the respect and trust is there. It's very easy.

"We all get along. It's partially because we don't see each other unless we're touring or recording. We never have bad times. Everybody gets along and everyone's fun."

Chandler said the key to the album is honesty. That could be why, perhaps, the album and its first single, "This Time It's Different," have been so successful.

"It's full of music and songs that we wanted to create," he said. "It was less about hoping radio embraced that. Obviously, you want that to happen. We decided, 'Why don't we make a record that we love and if we make it as honest as we can I think a lot of people will relate to it. Things will transpire through that.'"

Through Facebook and Twitter, Evans Blue has learned that listeners are relating to "Graveyard of Empires."

"I'm very happy that people are reading into it and understanding where we're coming from," Chandler said.

"We stay in touch with pretty much everybody that comes our way. It's really cool to get their opinions and their thoughts. It's awesome. I think people really embraced the album and that's what we were hoping for. We're having a good time doing it. We're ready to get back on the road and bring this show to life."

Chandler said fans can expect to get a show "10 notches above any other" Evans Blue concert.

"We have some production," he said. "We're bringing a small crew and we've really upped everything, probably, tenfold. I think the show's going to go off really good. We're going to play pretty much the newest record from front to back and include quite a few of the old stuff and a couple of the really old stuff."

But most importantly, the band is pushing "Graveyard of Empires." Evans Blue stands behind the album 100 percent.

"I don't ever want to look back and be like, 'I'm not really proud of that song,'" he said. "You have to perform these songs for a long time so you gotta make sure you're doing what you want."