Following the 2020 release of their seventh studio album, Out of Body, and the early-2021 release of live album Live from the Woods Vol. 2, Needtobreathe announced the upcoming release of studio album Into the Mystery on April 26, 2021.[3] After the band's tentative Out of Body Tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Needtobreathe spent 21 days living together and recording Into the Mystery in Tennessee.[3] The title track, "Into the Mystery" was released as the first single from the album on May 6, 2021.[4] Subsequent singles released include "I Wanna Remember" (featuring Carrie Underwood),[5] "What I'm Here For",[6] "Sunshine",[7] "Chances",[8] and "Carry Me" (featuring Jon Foreman of Switchfoot).[9] A film chronicling the album recording process was released via Greenwich Entertainment in theaters for a one-night-only event on November 3, 2021,[10] though it was made available on-demand three weeks later on November 23, 2021.[11]
Needtobreathe announced the Into the Mystery Tour along with the announcement of the upcoming album on April 26, 2021.[3] The band revealed tour guests to be the New Respects and Switchfoot on April 29 and 30, 2021, respectively.[12] The Into the Mystery Tour began in St. Louis, Missouri on September 7, 2021 and concluded in Atlanta, Georgia on October 30, 2021.[13] Needtobreathe performed "I Wanna Remember" with Carrie Underwood at Bonnaroo Farm during the 2021 CMT Music Awards, which aired on CMT on June 9, 2021.[14] The band later performed "Into the Mystery" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[15]