After a bit of a break from the spotlight for the birth of his twinsDavid Nail is back and ready for action with his new record Fighter, which he just announced will officially release this summer.

The long-awaited fourth studio album includes his most recent single "Night’s on Fire," a feel-good tune with a pop-rock edge which is currently sitting at No. 17 on the country singles chart. Nail has said he started the process of the new record sort of by accident, but that he’s very proud of how it turned out.

“It’s going to be good,” he gushed last year. "But I feel weird saying that, because every artist says, ‘This is the best album [I’ve] ever made.’ But since we were able to do it mostly all in one sitting, the theme of the record fits more front-to-back than any other record I’d made in the past."

Fans who just can’t wait for new music from Nail are in luck, though, as the artist has put out a new EP called Uncovered, featuring covers of four tunes that Nail says have influenced him and inspired him to “stay in the fight” as a songwriter, artist, father and husband, among the other roles he serves in his life.

“As I looked ahead to begin the process of recording my fourth studio album for MCA Nashville ... I realized that music is one thing I lean on consistently to get me through or remind me how lucky I am to be doing what I love,” says Nail. “I am really excited to be able to share some of the music, outside of my own, that has meant something to me. This is just a small taste of some of the music that has challenged me, music that I enjoy performing, listening to, or that I have related to in some capacity along the way in my journey to Fighter.”

The EP also includes a stripped-down version of a song from his 2009 record I’m About to Come Alive called “Looking for a Good Time,” penned by Sean McConnell. The poignant tune is one of Nail’s favorites, and he says he opened his show with a similar version of the song when he was on tour with Lady Antebellum.

"A member of my team found this song for the first record, and it's been one of my favorites I've ever recorded,” he says of the song. "It’s a fantastic lyric, and I believe the broken down/slower version really puts you inside the story."

Other covers on the record include Elvis’ “In the Ghetto,” Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and even The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face."

"We had to do something off the wall for this project, thus our attempt at this huge pop hit. It was the most fun we had recording, and certainly the most laid back of any of the Uncovered songs,” he explains of the unusual choice.

Fans can stream the Uncovered EP now on Spotify. Nail's Fighter album is expected on July 15.

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