Margo Price has announced a new album, titled ‘Hard Headed Woman’, and released a new country track, ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down’.
The album, which is expected to be out on August 29, will be her first made in Nashville – a town she has called home for 20 years. The announcement is accompanied by ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down’, which is about standing up for those who are overlooked.
While it is inspired by a call for resistance in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Price also notes that it was also driven by the message that Kris Kristofferson whispered to Sinéad O’Connor after she was booed on stage at a Bob Dylan anniversary concert.
Price said: “I always hope to do like Johnny Cash did, which is speak up for the common man and woman. But there have been so many threats and anger and vitriol over the years, when I am only coming from a place of love.
“So I made the decision to rebuild everything from the ground up. I hope this album inspires people to be fearless and take chances and just be unabashedly themselves, in a culture that tries as hard as it can to beat us into all being the same.”
Watch the music video for ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down’ below.
Price is planning on taking the songs from ‘Hard Headed Woman’ on the road later in the year, starting with a headline show at London’s Scala on June 18. She will be joined by a brand new live band at her 2025 shows.
‘Hard Headed Woman’ tracklist
‘Prelude {Hard Headed Woman}’
‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down’
‘Red Eye Flight’
‘Don’t Wake Me Up (feat. Jesse Welles)’
‘Close To You’
‘Nowhere Is Where’
‘Losing Streak’
‘I Just Don’t Give a Damn’
‘Keep A Picture’
‘Love Me Like You Used To Do (feat. Tyler Childers)’
‘Wild At Heart’
‘Kissing You Goodbye’
Price’s 2023 album ‘Strays’ was given four stars by NME in a review, and was commended for its lyricism and ability to capture the human experience. It reads: “The Grammy Award-winning artist’s latest LP isn’t made to fit neatly into album award categories, but in songs like the heartbreaking ‘Anytime You Call’ where Price’s vocals and arrangements linger somewhere in the sweet spot between country, indie rock and retro pop, you get the feeling that was never the plan anyway.
“It’s sonically brave and lyrically obstinate, a rare delight that stands out from its counterparts. In a world where songs are made to go viral and albums are created to fit neatly into boxes, we’re lucky Price is a stray.”
Back in 2023 Price offered up some advice to independent artists at the Libera Awards – urging them to “do no harm but take no shit”.