So Much For Goodbyes Billy Strings

• 1 I'm One of Those 04:20
• 2 Burn the Other End 04:39
• 3 Carry Us Home 04:11
• 4 Lay Me Down 04:00
• 5 Lucid Daydream 06:35
• 6 Mill Town Flood 05:05
• 7 Live to Tell 06:22
• 8 Bluewater Breakdown 03:30
• 9 Light the Way 02:45
• 10 I Like Train Songs 04:48
• 11 10,000 Miles From a Friend 05:06
• 12 Still I Crash 05:00
• 13 I Wish I Wanted To 06:35
• 14 Remember to Cry 03:49
• 15 Wrestling an Angel 03:45
• 16 Debra's Waltz 04:10
• Total Runtime 01:14:40

Info for So Much For Goodbyes

Billy Strings wird am 28. August über Reprise Records sein neues Album „So Much for Goodbyes“ veröffentlichen. Zusammen mit der Ankündigung des Albums hat Strings auch die erste Single aus dem Projekt veröffentlicht: „Burn the Other End“, die er gemeinsam mit Paul Hoffman von Greensky Bluegrass geschrieben hat.

Das von Strings und T Bone Burnett produzierte neue Album mit 16 Titeln zeigt, wie Strings „eine sehr persönliche Lebensphase in sein bisher musikalisch ausgereiftestes und nachdenklichstes Werk einfließen lässt“. Strings’ Mutter, Debra Apostol, die 2025 aufgrund einer versehentlichen Überdosis verstarb, ist für das Albumcover verantwortlich. Der Gitarrist veröffentlichte 2025 „Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton: Live at the Legion“ und 2024 das von Jon Brion produzierte Album „Highway Prayers“.

„Ich habe dieses Album zu Ehren meiner Mutter aufgenommen“, erzählt Strings. „Um diese sehr bedeutsame Zeit der Trauer in meinem Leben wahrzunehmen, anzunehmen und daraus Kunst zu schaffen. Um meinen Herzschmerz in Lieder zu verwandeln und dabei meine Gitarre wie immer als Bewältigungsstrategie zu nutzen. Sie war immer da, auf die ich mich in schweren Zeiten stützen konnte, und ich gehe davon aus, dass das immer so bleiben wird … bis es für mich an der Zeit ist, Abschied zu nehmen.“

„So Much For Goodbyes“ wird auf Vinyl in den Varianten Schwarz, Holzmaserung und „Sun Core“ erhältlich sein, wobei die gesamte Produktion in den USA erfolgt. Die Platten wurden bei Paramount Pressing & Plating in Denver, gegründet von dem erfahrenen Toningenieur Gary Salstrom und David Rawlings, plattiert und gepresst und von Jeff Powell bei Take Out Vinyl in Memphis, Tennessee, für Vinyl geschnitten.

„Ich arbeite an Songs, und viele davon handeln von meiner Mutter. Ich habe viele ihrer Gedichte gesammelt und sortiert. Ich habe mich noch nicht richtig damit beschäftigt, aber ich habe es vor. Wir beide wollten schon immer Songs daraus machen“, sagte Strings letztes Jahr in einer Titelgeschichte von Relix. „Sie hat auch bildende Kunst geschaffen, daher möchte ich einige ihrer Kunstwerke als Inspiration für dieses nächste Album nutzen und versuchen, sie mit dieser nächsten Reihe von Kunstwerken, an denen ich gerade arbeite, zu ehren. Das sind jedenfalls meine Gedanken, und ich glaube, es wird etwas Wunderschönes sein, sie damit zu ehren. Also ja, ich arbeite sozusagen an einem Album für Mama.“

Billy Strings

Billy Strings
One of the top emerging artists across all genres of music, Billy Strings has made his most ambitious album to date with Renewal, a 16-song collection that effortlessly positions him as a singular talent—one who reveres the history of the acoustic music that inspired him, while pushing it forward into new spaces and audiences through his incredible live shows.

Serving as a reflection of Strings' diverse musical influences, Renewal reaches well beyond bluegrass with elements of heavy metal, jam bands, psychedelic music and classic rock—even though it's still primarily an acoustic record. The album follows his Grammy Award-winning project, Home, as well as industry recognition ranging from Pollstar's Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic to the International Bluegrass Music Association's Guitar Player of the Year and New Artist of the Year.

“I've learned, you've just got to let the song do its thing,” shares Strings. “So that's what I try to do—write songs and let them come out however they do.”

Guided by producer Jonathan Wilson (Roger Waters, Father John Misty), Strings and his band were given the space to explore new textures and unusual instrumentation on the album, resulting in a more expansive sound that still embraces his roots.

“After winning the Grammy, I went into the studio with newfound confidence. And was inspired by Jonathan's studio and vibe. More than ever before, I trusted myself to experiment and push myself musically.”

Strings shares a more personal and honest point of view on Renewal, with a writing credit on 13 of its tracks. Collaborating with some of his favorite co-writers, Strings shows through his lyrics that he's determined to overcome any setback, from a crumbling relationship in “Know It All” to the greater scheme of things on “This Old World.” Although there is darker imagery, an optimistic thread runs throughout Renewal—and its title is no coincidence.

“I called my last record Home, and then a few months later that's where we all got stuck,” Strings says. “Right now, we're heading back into opening back up, and doing some more touring with real concerts and real shows. Hopefully we can renew everything. I think it's an interesting word. It reminds me of how every morning is a renewed day and another chance.”

A Michigan native who's lived in Nashville since 2015, Strings didn't set out to become known as a singer, although he's become recognized as one of acoustic music's most expressive vocalists. His melodies are often breezy but there’s often a counterpoint within the lyrics, especially on songs like “The Fire on My Tongue.”

“I never set out to be the best singer. My goal was just to master expressing myself through bluegrass music and so many of those players just sing how they talk. Then, when I grew up, I learned that I liked Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin, so that influenced me, too. A song on this record like Red Daisy’ is totally a bluegrass song, but there’s also a song like ‘Leaders’ that I wrote with my buddy Steve Poltz. Who even knows how to define that one?”

The musicianship throughout Renewal is outstanding, as Strings surrounds himself with touring bandmates Billy Failing (banjo, vocals, piano), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), and Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals, guitar), as well as guests John Mailander (violin), Spencer Cullum Jr. (pedal steel) and Grant Millikem (synth). In addition to producing, Wilson plays percussion, celesta, and harpsichord. The instrumental tracks “Ice Bridges” and “Running the Route” especially show the camaraderie of the sessions.

Strings grew up playing traditional bluegrass with his dad until he was introduced to a new generation of younger artists embracing acoustic music. That revelation led to his own willingness to branch out beyond bluegrass and his ability to pull in fans from every corner of the live music scene, which is evident through recent collaborations with everyone from Luke Combs to RMR, Del McCoury to Fences. Renewal is simply the next step in that creative evolution.

“I listen to this album now and it's emotional,” he says. “I could sit there and tweak it forever, but there's a point where it's like building a house of cards. Yeah, I could add an extra tower on top, but it might collapse. I've always doubted myself, and I still do, but this album makes me think, ‘Hey, you're doing all right, kid. You just need to keep going.’”

This album contains no booklet.