Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” arrives exclusively at iTunes on Tuesday (May 22nd). It will then be available at all online retailers beginning May 29th. The song, which is the first release from their upcoming album set for release this fall, evolved in the recording studio. “I think that that little mandolin lick in the beginning was just a spur of the moment idea. It just happened in the studio, and then we kind of embellished upon it,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “It was one of those times where it was just a really creative moment where people were kind of just contributing little musical things, and it was so much fun. We were having so much fun making this record.”  

The video for “Pontoon” should hit video outlets in the next few weeks.  

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Karen Fairchild talk about the evolution of “Pontoon” in the studio.  

LBT (Pontoon mando-lick) OC: (Karen) …pontoony. [Jimi laughs] :44 

PHILLIP: “I think that that little mandolin lick in the beginning was just a spur of the moment idea. It just happened in the studio, and then we kind of embellished upon it.  It was one of those times where it was just a really creative moment where people were kind of just contributing little musical things, and it was so much fun. We were having so much fun making this record. It just sounds like it too.” KAREN: “That musical idea too, I think, the goal was to find something that’s as hooky as the chorus, but be musical. We liked mandolin or guitar, electric or something, and then somebody came up with that mando-lick, which sounds so kinda cool, and it’s also keyboard doing it at the same time. It sounds kinda freaky and…pontoony. [Jimi laughs]”