It may have only been 13 months since Needtobreathe released their last album “Daylight,” but that doesn’t mean that the South Carolina rockers haven’t learned anything about recording a record since that time. Recording their major label debut in England, lead singer Bear Rinehart admits that the band definitely got a little homesick. “I think we were pretty comfortable in the studio the first time, but being away from our families for six weeks was a little weird. After about the second or third week we started to feel a little lonely. I don’t know if that came across in the record necessarily, but it definitely put an extra bit of pressure and awkwardness on us,” Rinehart told Alternative Addiction. Rather than recording this album across the pond, Needtobreathe chose to record their new album “Heat,” in their home studio in Seneca, South Carolina. They gained a new sense of confidence not only from being at home, but also from the strong response their music received as they toured the country in 2006. Like most bands, Needtobreathe had a very strong regional following prior to the release of their major label debut, and the band received a lot of pressure from their label to have a more national friendly sound. “I think our record label was very nervous about the whole southern thing, we had a lot of people telling us to be more international, and I think we listened to them a little bit too much,” Rinehart explained. “Don’t get me wrong, I really liked our last record a lot, but we listened to outside influence too much last time.” Having the success of their debut album under their belt, Needtobreathe had the creative freedom to expand their sound as they saw fit. “This time, if we liked what we were hearing, we just did it, and I think that’s really the only way to approach a record.” So far the band’s new approach is paying off as their first single “Streets of Gold” has been received well at radio, and their album released last week with strong sales. Needtobreathe will be on tour for much of the fall in support of “Heat” for tour dates visit needtobreathe.net