for KING + COUNTRY are entering a new chapter with “the most beautiful colours”, the fifth studio album from Grammy-winning Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, due for release on September 18th.
Across the project, the duo turn their attention to the beauty and diversity of life, both in the world around us and in the promise of what comes beyond it. Rather than confining itself to a single sound or subject, “the most beautiful colours” is presented as a broad, colourful collection built around themes of unity, identity, hope and grace.
It is an appropriately expansive concept for a duo whose music has increasingly blurred the boundaries between contemporary Christian, pop, country, and cinematic songwriting. There are songs of worship and encouragement alongside tributes to family and collaborations that bring other voices into the Smallbones' musical world.
At the heart of the record is ‘world on fire’, described as the combustible lead single and one of its defining moments. The track places the brothers' vocals alongside Taylor Hill, adding another dimension to an album that repeatedly returns to the idea of people finding common ground despite their differences.
That sense of togetherness is even more explicit on ‘Alle’, whose repeated refrain imagines voices from “every tribe and every tongue” coming together. The album's newest single, ‘what if I told you?’, takes a more intimate approach. The song is built around reassurance in the face of insecurity, challenging the idea that other people's opinions should determine a person's worth. Its message is ultimately one of hope: whatever circumstances listeners may be facing, they are not alone, and faith remains an anchor.
That personal quality continues elsewhere on the album. ‘a good man’ is a tribute to the brothers' father, while ‘my mosaic’ brings Jessica Simpson into the project for a collaboration rooted in the album's broader celebration of identity. ‘loved’ and ‘thank God’ similarly sit within the record's larger examination of faith, gratitude and the ways those themes intersect with ordinary life.
One of the album's most distinctive collaborations comes from inside the Smallbone family. ‘ever & ever before’ features Joel and Luke alongside their wives, MORIAH and Courtney Smallbone. The inclusion gives the album another layer of intimacy, turning its exploration of love and connection into something rooted in the brothers' own families.
The album asks listeners to consider where identity comes from, what holds people together and how faith can offer hope when circumstances appear overwhelming. ‘miracle’ perhaps captures that outlook most directly. Built around the conviction that God's power to transform lives remains present in every generation, the song combines cinematic instrumentation with a deliberately uplifting message. It is a familiar territory for the duo, but one they approach with the scale and emotional intensity that have become hallmarks of their music.
“There are certainly times in life to roll up your sleeves, to work hard and to go to war for the things you believe in. But there are also seasons to be still,” the brothers share. “This record isn’t a refusal, denial, or a sugar-coating of any of the pain & hardships we’re all facing, but rather a holy invitation to a defiant hope & a gentle reminder of the miraculous in our everyday lives.”
Taken together, the album's songs suggest a project that is less about escaping the complexity of life than seeing it differently. Fire, uncertainty, gratitude, family, love and worship all have a place within its palette.
While the most beautiful colours looks firmly towards the duo's next chapter, for KING + COUNTRY's career also includes a collaboration that has taken on renewed significance following the death of Dolly Parton. In 2019, the brothers enlisted the country icon for a remix of ‘God Only Knows’, bringing Parton's unmistakable voice to one of the duo's most successful songs. The original had already reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, spending 19 weeks in that position and 60 weeks on the chart overall. It also spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart. Parton's involvement helped the song reach an even wider audience. The remix climbed to No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving for KING + COUNTRY their first appearance on the chart.
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