Jason Isbell and his top-notch band teased a new album Monday with a montage of the group at work in the studio, narrated by ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson. The new LP, recorded at revered Berry Hill studio complex Blackbird, is called Weathervanes and will be released June 9. Tuesday, we got our first listen to the opening track, “Death Wish.”
The tune shares territory with many of Isbell’s best-loved songs, especially “If We Were Vampires” from 2017’s The Nashville Sound. The earlier song is about how the sting of mortality — the knowledge that one half of a couple is likely going to spend some days alone, to borrow a phrase from the refrain — makes a relationship precious. “Death Wish” reflects on that reality from another point of view, as one partner struggles to help the other cope with their self-destructive behavior as well as its underlying causes. Isbell sings of the pain that can come from social, economic and other pressures that leave you hopeless: “Who's gonna save you / Who's left to pray to / What's the difference in breakdown and a breakthrough?”
Above, see the lyric video for the song, and check out the album trailer video below. Check out your favorite record store or this handy link for preorder options. Isbell and the band also announced a ton of tour dates for the spring and summer; no word yet about their annual Ryman residency, which typically happens in October and is usually announced around mid-June.
Isbell and wife Amanda Shires, as you may recall, are this year’s Record Store Day Ambassadors. The special releases coming April 22 include an EP they made together at Sound Emporium as well as an EP of live-in-studio performances at Columbia Studio A from Shires, featuring songs from her excellent 2022 LP Take It Like a Man.
Famously, Isbell and Shires have also recorded (together and separately) at RCA Studio A. Are they slowly but surely touring all the remaining historic studios in the region? Is Woodland Street, Cinderella Sound or maybe Bradley’s Barn next? Will they make a surprise appearance somewhere on RSD? Keep up with Isbell and Shires via Instagram (here and here, respectively) and Twitter (here and here, also respectively) for more.
