Though recording an album in less than six month is not ideal, the band jumped at the chance for one reason, and one reason only: No other act on their label, which is home to Black Eyed Peas, No Doubt and U2, would be putting out an album that month, and the major label would be able to put all its focus on OneRepublic.

"People always know our songs," Tedder told Radio.com. "But the profile of who we are is never as ubiquitous as the music itself, and we've been trying to fix that. So we got all jacked up, 'Oh my God, we could be the only act coming out on our entire record label. That's huge!'"

By September, the band knew they just weren't going to make their deadline � "We spent two months on two songs," Tedder said � so they decided to bump the release of their third album, Native, back to March 26.

In the end, Tedder says it was the best decision the band ever made since it allowed them more time to fine-tune the album as a whole, from the sound to the look. With those extra few months, they completed two of what Tedder says are "the biggest songs on the album." Adding, "You can't rush stuff like that."