Larkin Poe on Their New Album and the Current 'State of Change' in the Music Industry

Photos by Jason Stoltzfus Larkin Poe

The story of southern rock sister duo Larkin Poe began in Northern Georgia on a 70-acre plot of land that they called home, where they spent their days loving life as two all-American tomboys.

"We had access to our dad's tool chest, and we would get out in the woods and build forts together," remembers Rebecca Lovell, 31, during a recent interview with PEOPLE. "We were always in the middle of projects together. It's always been the two of us against the world."

The two let out a laugh, seemingly in unison and in harmony at the very same time, before Rebecca continues.

"There's a lot of nonverbal communication between the two of us. It's definitely a relationship that has prospered throughout the years. It's very special."

Special too is their love of music, which began when the two sisters started classical violin lessons when they were just 4 years old and a love that was certainly cultivated by their family.

RELATED: Devin Dawson Reveals 10-Month Struggle with Dysphonia: 'It Has Severely Affected My Voice'

"Our mom has a beautiful voice," adds Megan, 33, who began touring with her sister as Larkin Poe when they were just teens. "She grew up singing harmony with her siblings, so she taught us siblings to sing harmony as well. We definitely have memories of sitting at the piano with her and her showing us how to sing from a very young age."

Jason Stoltzfus Larkin Poe

Their father was also a music lover, having filled the house and his car with the sounds of the classic rock artists at the time, including another groundbreaking sister duo that the world knows best as Heart.

"Heart was definitely and continues to be a huge influence," says Rebecca, who serves as Larkin Poe's lead singer and guitarist. "We actually got to meet them at a couple of events over the years and we got wobbly in the knees, that's for sure."

Granted, Heart is just one of the many musical acts that have put their stamp on the Grammy Award-nominated duo. "Being able to have strong female role models like Bonnie Raitt or Joan Jett or Sheryl Crow… I mean, these are artists who really paved their own way in the rock space and that's been something we've always aspired to," explains Megan. "I think in recent years we've been able to tap deep into that and with a lot of self-acceptance and confidence, we are now able to pave our way too."

Indeed, while Larkin Poe has now reached that point in their career where they have baby acts looking up to them, they have seen first-hand the shift in "the last handful of years" to a place where inclusivity and diversity have been prioritized more than ever before.

"It's incredibly refreshing to be able to roll up to a rock music or a blues music or just a general music festival and see a lot more female talent and a lot more talent of color on the bill," says Rebecca.

"A lot of times we would not see a lot of females, and so it's really, really nice to be able to have that camaraderie now with a lot of other female instrumentalists in particular," Megan adds.

Jason Stoltzfus Larkin Poe

But let's not forget the male artists that have too helped Larkin Poe along the way — artists such as Keith Urban, Elvis Costello and Bob Seger have all proudly taken the sister duo out on the road with them to help elevate their worthy voices.

"That has been a huge, huge helping hand in our journey," says Megan, who will embark alongside her sister on their biggest North American headline tour to date in 2023.

It's a journey that has now led Larkin Poe to the release of their upcoming sixth studio album, Blood Harmony, which includes such recent singles as the smoldering "Bad Spell" and the downright ingenious "Georgia Off My Mind." The record is out Friday.

"'Georgia Off My Mind' was just me mulling on that transition from our home state of Georgia to our current home in Tennessee and what it represented for us spiritually and energetically to return to Tennessee and put down stakes as adults in Nashville," says Rebecca of the song that pairs gritty electric guitar with the sounds of traditional blues. "My husband [Texas-bred musician Tyler Bryant] and I wrote it around our kitchen table and when I brought it to Megan, we worked it out together and changed the arrangement, as we are known to do as creative collaborators."

RELATED: Country Singer Makenzie Phipps Shows Off the Sassy Side of Her Sweet Personality on New Song 'Drag'

Indeed, Blood Harmony serves as Larkin Poe's forever footprint on their ongoing musical journey.

"It is a hard road to hoe to assign your livelihood to your creative passion," says Rebecca. "Today's industry is really competitive. It's dog-eat-dog. And I think that we're in a state of change. A lot of artists are stepping up and not requiring the big machines of labels — we're able to make records on our laptops and in our home studios. The barrier to entry is removed."

Nevertheless, Larkin Poe's stories are ones that need to continue to be told.

"Whenever you can feel that you are sending out energy and receiving energy from other humans in a meaningful way, it makes it all worth it," concludes Megan. "We feel so grateful to be able to be storytellers and to collect our emotional experience on this earth and put it into our art."