Penelope Road are ready to take the scenic route to somewhere bigger. On Maybe in Time, the Atlanta-bred quintet makes its Warner Records debut with a colorful collection of melodic pop-rock that looks to the past for inspiration while keeping its eyes firmly on the future. Drawing from the sounds of the Seventies and Eighties, the album mixes together disco, soul, modern pop and classic rock into a sound as eclectic as the city that produced them.

Formed in 2023 while its members were still in college, Penelope Road began as a gathering of childhood friends Max Moore (lead vocals, guitar), Charles Eastman (lead vocals, keyboards), Koan Roy-Meighoo (vocals, guitar), James Kopp (bass) and Anthony Smith (drums). The band's name comes from the West Atlanta street where Moore and Kopp lived and rehearsed, a nod to the idea that they’ll never forget where they came from.

After establishing its identity through three EPs, including its 2024 self-titled debut, The Diamond Street Sessions and 2025's Chance Encounter, the band now takes a major leap. All five members contributed to the songwriting, working with a fresh new team that includes Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Daniel Tashian, known for his work with Kacey Musgraves.

The album opens with “California,” a gleaming pop-rock proclamation about leaving Atlanta behind to chase something beyond familiar surroundings. Written in the Golden State, the song captures the restless optimism of young musicians ready to make their own rules. “I don’t wanna live playing by the book,” they sing, delivering a fitting declaration of independence for a band entering a new chapter.

That adventurous spirit keeps soaring on “New Money,” where a driving rhythm and infectious guitar take things in a more contemporary pop direction. One of four songs co-written with Tashian, it's an instant and unapologetic earworm. The disco-inflected “Just Another Night,” another Tashian collaboration, steps further into dance-floor territory, highlighted by impressive falsetto performances from Eastman and Moore. 

Throughout the album, the band's strongest asset remains its chemistry, with multiple vocalists and players contributing to a sound that feels anything but manufactured. Rooted in Atlanta but reaching well beyond its hometown, Penelope Road are finding their own roads to follow. And judging by Maybe in Time, the trip is just getting started.