When Maddie & Tae made their first visit to NBC’s Today show in August 2014, “Girl in a Country Song” was just one month old. Things were decidedly different this morning, when the girls returned to the show after a year’s absence to play their kickoff single — which has grown into a chart-topping behemoth since its debut last summer — along with their second hit, “Fly.”

“[It’s been a] whirlwind,” Maddie Marlow told the show’s hosts, when asked to describe the months separating the duo’s two Today appearances. “It feels surreal.”

With that, Maddie & Tae launched into a victory-lap performance of “Girl in a Country Song,” the 2014 hit that railed against the bros of country-pop — and briefly broke their Number One stranglehold on the charts — while still dishing up enough polished twang to please the genre’s fans. Afterwards, the duo switched gears with “Fly,” a power ballad that shines a light on their strength as a harmony duo. 

As their Sounds of Summer Tour with Dierks Bentley winds to a close later this month, Maddie & Tae are preparing for their biggest headlining tour to date. The shows, which will help promote the recent release of their Start Here album, stretch across October and early November.