When Brent Smith and Zach Myers first started playing stripped-down duo concerts late 2017, the performances were a departure from the amped-up pop rock that brought them multi-platinum success as half of Shinedown. It was during a Jersey show in early 2019 when Smith blurted out onstage that the duo would be releasing a double EP, much to Myers’ surprise. “I’m the king of just saying stuff and I do it in a way to hold myself accountable for it,” Smith says with a laugh. “I will say things and throw them out into the universe so that they’ll actually happen and, lo and behold, here we are.” Smith & Myers released their debut EP in two volumes, weeks apart, this past October. Each unfolds with the intimate warmth of two friends finding serenity amid the tumult of an insane year. Each set is also half originals and half covers—from singles “Bad at Love” and “One More Time” to a toned-down rendition of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” and Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” (“There’s a weird romanticism to hearing an [artist] in your current rotation play a song that you grew up with,” Myers says.) The musicians have also rallied this year to combat the pandemic—Shinedown released B-side “Atlas Falls” in March to benefit Direct Relief, a nonprofit that helps essential healthcare workers on the ground during times of crises. And Shinedown has since raised over $300,000 and counting for the organization. While using their platform and privilege to fight COVID-19, the pair also took an apolitical approach toward addressing the renewed public conversation around systemic racism. “‘Not Mad Enough’ was written the day that I—along with the rest of the world—watched a man get murdered on national television and that’s just point-blank wrong,” Smith says of the song, which addresses the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. “A ton of our fans are police officers and they’re good cops,” adds Myers. “I have four police officers in my family who are great police officers. And they were all absolutely disgusted by this. But it’s about humanity. It’s about love for your fellow person, no matter what their past is.” Justin Joffe