Putting in the work is at the core of Larry Fleet’s musical ethos. He did, after all, name his 2019 debut album Workin’ Hard, a nod to the life he spent working in heavy construction before finding a break in the music industry. Following 2021’s Stack of Records, Fleet’s third studio LP expands on the themes prevalent in his earlier work: love, fatherhood, and hard work, with some fun thrown in for good measure. Highlights include “25-8,” a clever fantasy about extending one’s time past what we’re allotted, and “There’s a Waylon,” not just a nod to the iconic Jennings but also a sly wink to Fleet’s own son of the same name. The title track is the perfect introduction to Fleet for newcomers, as the song pulls back the curtain on Fleet’s upbringing and establishes the laidback humility of the rest of the Joey Moi-produced record. Fleet’s earlier records referenced his growing family, and this one is no different. “With Earned It, you see where my little boy's four now and my little girl's two,” he tells Apple Music. “Me and my wife [have] been married for a little while, and I'm growing as a person, as a husband, as a father, as a friend, whatever. So, you grow, and my music goes that way, because I just write about what I know and what I'm going through. And it just happens to be what a lot of other people are going through, so they can relate to it.” Below, Fleet shares insight into several key tracks. “Earned It” “I was content where I was at [working in concrete]. I didn't mind it. I was happy. I worked and I made an honest living and was good with it. And I had my weekends, and now I'm gone all the time. So I work just as hard, if not harder, actually. I mean, maybe not as much physical labor, but it's a lot more on me than I ever did when I was doing concrete stuff, because I'm gone all the time. I'm always doing something. I just never saw myself in this position, but I'm lucky to be here. So yeah, I definitely look around, I'm like, ‘What am I even doing here? How did I get here?’” “Lucky Dog” “That was HARDY actually singing the demo—him and a couple other boys, they wrote it. And so it got sent to me, but it sounded so much like HARDY that I was like, ‘I don't know, it's HARDY.’ I love HARDY, we're buddies. And he's an awesome songwriter, he's had a bunch of good ones. Me and Joey [Moi] kept talking about it, and Joey loved that song, and Joey's my producer. We ended up recording it, and then I went and sang on it and it became one of my favorite songs. And live it's such a meaty song.” “25-8” “First listen, I was like, I'm cutting it. We've all said that: ‘Man, if we had another day, another hour.’ Another day, another dollar, whatever. We've said it. We've danced around that whole thing, but nobody said ‘25-8.’ I listened to it and I was like, ‘Oh, I got to have it.’” “Grow” “Grow a kid into his daddy's boots—anytime you talk about kids and daddies and stuff, oh, it gets me. So, if you’re listening and you're a songwriter, write them songs and I'll cut them. That's the thing that I'm just drawn to. But yeah, man, there's some good ones that I've heard, and the stuff we didn't get to cut, we didn't have time. I mean, I would put out a 100-song record if I could.”