Alabama Shakes have returned with the howling, political new single ‘American Dream’ – check it out below.
The band – comprised of Brittany Howard, Heath Fogg, and Zac Cockrell – went on hiatus back in 2018, only to return last August with their first new music in 10 years, ‘Another Life’, which saw the band venture further into 1960s British soul and rock.
With their third album expected to be released later this year, the trio have now shared ‘American Dream’, which sees Howard digging deep to lament the current state of life in her home country.
“Low grade fever, lower wage people/How many folks got shot this week?/It’s enough to make you wanna go back to sleep”, she sings. “The American dream/I wanna go back to sleep now/The impossible dream”
Listen to the song here:
Explaining the impetus behind the track, Howard has said: “It’s a snapshot of what we’re living through in 2026. I look around and wonder how we got to a place where there’s so much strain and so little support. I mean, it shouldn’t be impossible to take off work so you can bring your child to the doctor – that’s actually insane. My hope is that one day people will hear this song and say, ‘Yeah, shit was crazy back then, but we made it through.’”
Alabama Shakes will also be playing an extensive US tour, which kicks off this week (April 16) in Richmond, Virginia – see all the dates here and find remaining tickets here. They are also playing shows in Leeds’ Millennium Square on July 1 and London’s Alexandra Palace on July 3, and you can find any remaining tickets for those here.
Since their hiatus, Howard has released two solo studio albums: 2019’s ‘Jaime‘ and 2023’s ‘What Now‘.
In December, the band reunited for the first time in over seven years at a surprise show in their native Alabama. Howard had been slated to perform the gig as a solo act, but decided to surprise guests by inviting her Alabama Shakes bandmates to the stage.
Then, in January, they shared some photos of themselves in the studio, telling fans they were “working on some exciting stuff!”
They are currently continuing as a three-piece, with former drummer Steve Johnson absent. He was arrested on charges of child abuse in March 2021, but was then dismissed in December 2021.