Leading up to Second Lovers' seismic shift in sound has been the enormity of personnel changes. It is impossible to measure the level of patience this band has when it comes to finding the right people for the job. Sean Spiller, formally of The Manichean, not only plays bass, but brings production and engineering experience to the band. His technical insights provided the framework of production for the New Mexico EP.

Josh Hammond plays the drums exquisitely, yet his musical experience isn't limited to just drums -- according to Truver, he is the best guitarist in the band. John Maxwell demonstrates both reverence and mastery of both the mandolin and banjo. Chelsea Renee's vocals both compliment and expand the band's reach, capturing the essence of the new material while accenting it with both experience and grace.

"I am very proud of [our band] because we did a sort of inverted pyramid," Truver says. "We started with a very folk element and added to it with each new member and each new generation of the band, and now having someone like Josh, who has such a wide range of knowledge about the guitar and has a deep understanding of tone, and having someone like Sean, who has all of these crazy ideas of how to build a groove in a band, and put that together with Nic's diverse songwriting skills, it allows for our sound to expand in any direction. It is that open."

Second Lovers' sound is larger, more capacious than their predecessors. Freed from the constraints of Americana, their organic development stems from the current lineup's cohesiveness. Morales no longer has the full burden of songwriting; everyone shares the same vision, which removes the previously existing barriers facing Second Lovers. Imagine a similar shift from Wilco's A.M. to Being There.

As for the future, it holds an upcoming television appearance, Free Press Summer Fest, and a potential stint in Nashville, or as Truver puts it, Crashville.

"I want to do Crashville so bad," he says. "I have a week scheduled off just in case. We love Houston and we are so proud of Houston, but we've seen other artists like Robert Ellis go there and come back to Houston with such a strong element. We want to go and spend our time there and have every intention of coming back here just a little more resolved, a little stronger as a band."

Second Lovers perform 1 p.m. Saturday at Discovery Green's Earth Day 2015 Festival, as well as May 1 at House of Blues, May 22 on Great Day Houston and June 6 at Free Press Summer Fest. You can check out their music here.

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