O.A.R.

O.A.R. co-founder Marc Roberge is going back to the future for the group’s new album.  “We’re revisiting the drive that got us here in the first place,” Roberge tells Hitfix. “The vibe that you get when you go for it on your first record: pure excitement.”

Their running mate is producer Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Faith No More), who helmed O.A.R.’s 2008 album, “All Sides.” That set spawned the band’s biggest hit, “Shattered (Turn the Car Around),” which reached No. 2.

In addition to capturing that initial thrill that come with making a first album, the band is putting a little extra spring in its musical step on the new set, which it expects to release by September. “We’re absolutely trying to bring a little more rhythm into the songs, a little more backbeat,” Roberge says. “Our drummer really rose to the occasion and provided us with the foundation. I’m all about the rhythm section and then we’ll just pile everything on to that.”

O.A.R. is renowned for its energetic live shows. There’s a reason for that: the band lives for its time on stage. “Playing live is like therapy,” Roberge says. “It’s a cleansing for me. Honestly, playing music is the only time, on stage, that I feel completely comfortable. It’s the only play I can be myself completely.”

See for yourself: O.A.R. starts a new tour in July that will run through October.