There’s been a void in country music since Taylor Swift unofficially (and then officially) left the genre a few years ago. Though there are some women who grace the airwaves of country radio (see: Carrie Underwood), the overwhelming majority of country artists are male (see: country singers not named Carrie Underwood).

Enter Maddie & Tae, a duo made up of 20-year-old Maddie Marlow and 19-year-old Tae Dye, whose breakout single “Girl In A Country Song” has joined the boy’s club of country music in the past year. Though they may initially look like a countrified version of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Maddie & Tae have proven that they can hold their own in their debut album, Start Here, which came out on August 28th.

Waitin’ On A Plane
The perfect song to begin a debut album, “Waiting On A Plane” is all about the moment when you finally head away from what you know and towards where you want to be. The chorus, in which Maddie & Tae sing, “gonna spread my wings, take flight, set my sights on a brand new life,” sets the tone for this coming-of-age album.

Girl In A Country Song
The edgy song that launched Maddie & Tae onto the country music scene last year is also the song with the best lyrics on Start Here. Though its upbeat tempo alone could make it a hit, the premise of the song, which is to call out male country songwriters for sexist, objectifying lyrics, is a refreshing, clever take on the “bro country” trend that has dominated the genre the past few years. Maddie & Tae boldly quote the titles and choruses of some of the most popular contemporary country songs while throwing in a few lines of their own, lamenting that “we ain’t a cliché, that ain’t no way to treat a lady.”

Smoke
Following the cliché-breaking “Girl In A Country Song” is the cliché “Smoke.” A typical country breakup song, “Smoke” describes how an ex-boyfriend is “just like smoke- one minute by my side and then gone again.” Though it would be hard for any song to follow up the lyrical tour de force that is “Girl In A Country Song,” “Smoke” is one of those songs that, though the lyrics aren’t bad, is held back by the triteness of its subject.

Shut Up And Fish
By far the most country song on this very country album, “Shut Up And Fish” is the witty chronicle of a fishing date (just in case there was any lingering doubt that this was a country album) that, annoyingly, is not resulting in much fishing. One of the best lines on the album is the last few lines of the chorus, “he keeps saying… how it don’t get any better than this. I said yeah it could- if you could shut up and fish.”

Fly
One of the many coming-of-age songs on this coming-of-age album is the charming “Fly.” The lyrics will strike a chord with teenagers who are dealing with the typical growing pains of becoming an adult, with encouraging lyrics such as “you’ve come this far, don’t you be scared now.”

Sierra
Another song sure to resonate with teenagers, “Sierra” is a comeback song to a high school bully who, if Maddie & Tae’s wishes come true, will “one day find out that karma’s a…” (censorship courtesy of the innocent country duo themselves). Cementing my all-but-previously-confirmed suspicion that this album is targeted largely towards teenage girls, “Sierra” is a little middle schoolish- but also a lot of fun, with the bouncy beat that permeates the entire album in full display.

Your Side Of Town
Moving past the resentment part of the breakup described in “Smoke,” “Your Side of Town” chronicles the “never talk to me again” stage of breakup grief, with Maddie & Tae boldly warning ex-boyfriend to “stay off my stomping grounds.”

Right Here, Right Now
After songs that chronicle bad dates and breakups, “Right Here, Right Now” finally gets to a side of love that isn’t so vengeful, heartbroken, or disinterested. “Put your lips on mine, right here tonight,” croon Maddie & Tae, in one of the few cliché lines in the entire album.

No Place Like You
Returning to the coming-of-age theme, “No Place Like You” details the pain of exploring the world while leaving your loved ones behind. Listing far-off places across the country, the song repeatedly comes back to the comforting refrain that “there’s no place like you.”

After The Storm Blows Through
There are many songs on “Start Here” that have sentimental lyrics, but this is the first song to slow down the tempo enough so that listeners can sit down and think about the song’s relevance to their own lives. Celebrating the reliability of a best friend, “After The Storm Blows Through” is another immensely relatable song.

Downside Of Growing Up
The final song on the album is another one that touches on the theme of growing up, this time in the most straightforward way: with specific examples that show, as the song’s title suggests, the downside of growing up.