Trey Hensley, who recently won the International Bluegrass Music Association's award for Guitar Player of the Year, released a new single, "Can't Outrun the Blues," and teased a new LP due out in 2026. Check out "Can't Outrun the Blues" here.
French-born/Texas-based country artist Theo Lawrence and Arkansas bassist and songwriter Melissa Carper have teamed up for a new, yet old-timey duet titled “All Fifty States.”
Lawrence wrote the following about the song in a press release:
“All Fifty States” sets the scene in a small country town where the days stretch long and there isn’t much to do. Melissa Carper and I are talking in the kitchen - the flies are buzzing, the fridge is empty, and like in so many classic Country & Western duets, the lovers can’t agree. I’m restless, dreaming of the open road and wanting to see “California in the summer, the changing leaves of Virginia in the fall,” or just about anywhere but here. She’s content with her garden, the Chevy Caprice that barely runs, and the little bar around the corner. Melissa blows a puff from her cigarette, Theo takes a sip from his wine "Well, I guess I’ll see all 50 states alone."
Carper shared her perspective, as well:
When Theo shared his idea and most of the lyrics for "All Fifty States", I thought the idea of a dysfunctional couple lightly arguing back and forth in a duet was brilliant. It feels simple and real, painting an immediate picture with the corner bar, records, smokes, wine, and just 50 dollars in the bank. I even slipped in a line about his old Chevy Caprice — he had just bought one and drove it to a show of mine in Lockhart. Ironically, it broke down on his way back to Austin that night. My character is the one who wants to stay close to home in Texas, tending her garden and giving him a hard time about his dreams of seeing all 50 states with no money and a car that won’t make it out of town. By the end, once he agrees to stay in Texas with her, she agrees to see a state or two with him. It’s a dynamic I think many couples will recognize — resisting at first, then softening to meet each other halfway.
The Mountain Goats announced their 23rd album titled Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan — a full concept album that tells the story of a shipwreck and its three surviving members — due out November 7 via the band's own label, Cadmean Dawn. As frontman John Darnielle said in a press release, “I loved musicals when I was a kid, but I hadn’t really indulged in them that much until the last seven years or so. And then we did Jenny From Thebes, which I called a ‘fake musical’ a lot... But this one actually is going for it.” The album will feature musical pioneer Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame), as well as Tommy Stinson (of Midwest punk stalwarts The Replacements), and harpist Mikaela Davis. Listen to lead single "Armies of the Lord" below.
Canadian country/rock artist Boy Golden, who No Depression profiled in the Winter 2021 "Good News" issue, announced a new LP titled Best of Our Possible Lives, due out out February 13, 2026 via Six Shooter Records. Check out lead single "Suffer" and a spread from that edition of the journal below.
Finally, RIP to Nashville music publicist Kim Fowler, who died at the age of 58 due to early-onset dementia. Over the course of her three decade-long career, she worked with country, pop, and bluegrass artists like Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Tobby Keith, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Nickel Creek. Read the complete tribute in The Tennessean here.
WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO
Meklit - "Lefeqer Enegeza" (out today via Smithsonian Folkways)
Tyler Ballgame - "I Believe In Love" (from his forthcoming LP For the First Time, Again, due out January 30, 2026 via Rough Trade)
Theo Croker – "sound(e)scape" f/ Theophilus London and Nosaj Thing
Biffy Clyro - Futique
Dave Hause - ...And The Mermaid
Parts Work - "Trenton" (from their forthcoming, self-titled EP, due out October 24)
NEW RELEASES – 9/26/25
Dallas Burrows - The Way The West Was Won
Neko Case - Neon Gray Midnight Green
Clover County - Finer Things
Rosie Flores & The Talismen - Impossible Frontiers
Remi Goode - Things I've Said Before
Jared Dustin Griffin - Perseverance of Sisyphus
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Hard Road
Carolina Mama - AMINA
Marcus King Band - Darling Blue
Meklit - A Piece of Infinity
Robert Plant - Saving Grace
Ramona and The Holy Smokes - Ramona and The Holy Smokes
Amanda Shires - Nobody's Girl
Jeff Tweedy - Twilight Override
Patrick Watson - Uh Oh
COMING SOON - 10/3/25
Caitlin Canty - Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove
Brennen Leigh - Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love
Kashena Sampson - Ghost of Me
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