Alabama Shakes Break Decade-Plus Silence With New Song

Amid their first tour since 2017, Alabama Shakes have released “Another Life,” their first new song in more than a decade. The track precedes their debut album for new label Island Records, a release date for which has yet to be announced.

“Another Life,” which the band has been playing live on its current tour, was recorded in Nashville with frequent producer Shawn Everett.

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“When we wrote ‘Another Life,’ I was thinking about all the lives we carry,” says vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard. “The ones we’re living right now, the ones that slipped away because of different choices, the what ifs, the what wasn’t meant to be, the goodbyes and the chance encounters that feel divine. This song is about those threads and how they stretch across time and space, connecting every version of who we are. It’s about letting them come together, letting them harmonize and realizing that goodbye isn’t really goodbye. It’s more like, I’ll see you later. A collective story that never stops unfolding. I’m glad we opened this door into this reality of us making music together again.”

Before returning to the road this year, Alabama Shakes’ last proper concert was eight years ago at Montreal’s Osheaga festival, after which Howard embarked on a successful solo career. The group reunited for a secret nine-song set in December in Tuscaloosa, Al.

Alabama Shakes have dates on tap through Sept. 27 in Irving, Tx., and will also appear Nov. 15 at the Corona Capital festival in Mexico City.

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