Following the back-to-back successes of previous studio albums Bring You Back (2013) and Illinois (2015), Brett Eldredge is gearing up for the release of his upcoming self-titled album on Aug. 4—exactly 10 days away.

For Brett, the build-up to the release of the 12-song offering—all of which he co-wrote—is part of the fun.

“It’s the build-up, the countdown—that’s exciting,” says Brett to Nash Country Daily. “I’ve been waiting to get his album out for a while, so I’ve released a few songs early as instant grat tracks to kinda give people a taste of the depth of this record. I just think it’s a whole new level of musicality from me, and so I’m excited for the world to see it.”

While more often than not, artists release a self-titled album as their debut, Brett felt his new project deserved to be self-titled because it represented him more than anything he had ever created.

“I think coming into my own and actually figuring out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it takes a couple of records,” says Brett. “When I got to this record, it’s like, this is me melodically and lyrically more than anything I’ve ever done. This deserves to be self-titled because it’s more me than anything yet. I want it to be that big career album for me, that one that took it to a whole nother level. Everything has been going so well, and the build-up to this big record has been what I wanted it to be. I like to put the pressure on myself to deliver and I think the fans are going to love it.”