Alabama Shakes return with first new tune in a decade, ‘One other Life’ : NPR

Is there a extra highly effective advertising and marketing software than nostalgia? It is a vital ingredient of many a reunion tour, the place audiences clamor to see acts from pop music’s previous romp by way of the hits of their heydays.

There’s one thing a bit extra difficult, and rewarding, happening with the reunion of the Alabama Shakes. For one factor, the band — which launched its final album, Sound & Shade, a decade in the past — confronted the notion that it was a revival act earlier in its profession. Initially, the Shakes have been pegged as a retro Southern soul outfit, because of their desire for hand-played devices and sinewy grooves, the ecstatic energy entrance girl Brittany Howard may muster at will and the proximity of their North Alabama hometown to the storied recording scene of Muscle Shoals. However the group discovered that repute limiting. They insisted that their influences spanned period and elegance, then proved it by pushing into thrillingly experimental territory. As soon as the Shakes went on hiatus, Howard developed right into a solo artist with Afrofuturistic imaginative and prescient each unfussy and unbounded.

One other distinction from many cash-in nostalgia-fest reunions: There’s new Alabama Shakes music. “One other Life,” the group’s first new tune in 10 years, marks the reunion of musicians who’ve freed themselves from the strain to completely orient towards the previous or future. Howard and her comrades, bassist Zac Cockrell and guitarist Heath Fogg, are as soon as once more enjoying with ’60s rock and soul reference factors — very similar to these listeners detected of their 2012 breakthrough debut album, Boys & Ladies — solely, the place these outdated recordings had the unruliness of jam periods, now they’re locked onto grander sonic ambitions.

The layers are extra evident in Howard’s vocal performances too. Within the early days, she grabbed individuals along with her ingenious pacing of eruptive moments, and so they tended to interpret what she was singing as literal reality. On Sound & Shade and the 2 solo albums she’s launched since, she grew to become the auteur of her vocal sound, exploring complete new intervals and registers, and the evolution of Howard’s singing has illuminated the imaginative underpinnings of her lyrics. In “One other Life,” she pleads — with a seasoned soul singer’s conviction — for perception in reconciliation, whereas concurrently pointing our consideration in the direction of alternate timelines and realities.

The Shakes are again out on the highway, enjoying that tune and different brand-new materials — sure, there’s an album within the works — alongside their current catalog. At Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, I noticed their nine-piece touring ensemble framed by thickets of eerily lit vines, a far cry from the unadorned phases I bear in mind them enjoying within the early 2010s.

Again within the day, Howard was reluctant to recount the tales behind their songs, however I witnessed her measuring, and marveling at, the gap the Shakes have coated. At one level within the present, she defined that the exhilaration of with the ability to purchase her first house, because of the band’s success led her to write down “This Feeling.” “For a very long time, I used to be simply dwelling in a room in my dad’s home,” she recalled. “Lastly I had this independence, and it was essentially the most magnificent factor.”

Weeks later, simply earlier than she obtained summoned to a different soundcheck, I informed Howard that I might taken word of these small, shared moments of reflection. “I need to invite them in,” she replied. “That is sort of a brand new factor.”

This interview has been edited for size and readability.

Jewly Hight: I wasn’t positive what an Alabama Shakes recording would sound like in 2025. What do you assume this monitor exhibits us about the place your musical consolation zone is and what your urge for food to experiment collectively is like now?

Brittany Howard: I would not say [it’s] tremendous distant from the world of Boys & Ladies, [but] it is sort of an space we left unexplored, which is ’60s British soul rock. It jogs my memory of the Guess Who, and even early Tom Jones.

It is one thing that I used to be actually excited by: orchestrated ’60s guitar rock. We actually did not have [a song] like that. I am excited to place one thing out that I feel followers of Boys & Ladies can rejoice once more. However as for the remainder of the album, good luck. [laughs]

What do you imply by that?

I really feel like there could also be a couple of songs that group equally collectively, like, they sound like they belong in the identical world. However for essentially the most half, we simply did no matter we needed to. There’s some stuff that jogs my memory of storage Sly Stone. And there is some issues that I do not know precisely what style it could be. It is simply experimentation.

You start “One other Life” with this ethereal, elegant vocal assault that made me consider Curtis Mayfield’s falsetto. And from there, the wistfulness of your efficiency turns to pleading. What kind of area of interest are you discovering with the Shakes now, after all the issues that you’ve got gotten to strive along with your voice?

I’ve explored quite a lot of my dynamics vocally, but additionally emotionally. I am older now and I feel there’s a little bit extra knowledge happening. Not all the pieces highly effective is loud. Not all the pieces quiet is weak.

What felt proper to you about main with a tune that acknowledges the disintegration of a relationship, however in the end makes a case for future chance?

That is sort of my philosophy on life: As human beings, I feel we have sort of forgotten who we’re. We’re not simply, like, organic fleshy our bodies strolling round and making a living. Science has sort of caught as much as the non secular thought of there being a number of timelines. Your soul is simply part of this expertise. There’s a lot extra happening than meets the attention. Due to this fact, there’s a lot extra chance to speak about these items as being pure issues in existence.

Simply because this did not occur on this timeline doesn’t suggest it will not arrive on one other one, or [that] I am not already experiencing this in one other lifetime. It is okay to let go. It is okay to not be offended. It is okay that not all the pieces is supposed to be you already know. That is sort of what that complete factor is about.

After all, I’d love for individuals to place their very own that means to it. The [Shakes] tune “I Do not Wanna Struggle” — lots of people take it to imply in a relationship, however what I truly meant was individuals as world residents having to struggle this, that and the opposite simply to be individuals.

I noticed the Nashville date on the Shakes’ reunion tour, and the set listing encompassed each period of the band, the early Boys & Ladies days, the Sound & Shade experimentation and unreleased new materials. After not enjoying your outdated stuff for seven years, what did it take for you all to get to realize it intimately once more? And what did you uncover within the course of?

Effectively, there’s one thing sort of humorous: I used to be by no means a “normal” guitar participant, so I did not play something regular. So it was sort of irritating for me to relearn my outdated components. As a result of I used to be like, “What am I doing? Why did I play it this fashion?”

After which, whereas we’re enjoying these songs dwell, swiftly it is like muscle reminiscence will kick in. And I will simply begin enjoying it appropriately out of nowhere. It is nearly like I bear in mind from seven years in the past the place the fingers go, lastly.

Through the present I noticed, there have been moments whenever you reminisced about your preliminary triumphs, like that feeling of with the ability to purchase your first home because of the success of the band. Now, I do know you have by no means been massive on nostalgia, however is there one thing about returning to the Shakes and going again out on the highway collectively that places you in a reflective mindset?

It is like a compelled nostalgia, as a result of I’ve needed to marinate a lot on every tune, ‘trigger I needed to relearn them. So it is sort of like going again to the place of writing the tune, recording the tune, enjoying the tune out dwell — particularly the Sound & Shade stuff — and appreciating it a lot deeper, in a means.

I consider a tune like “Guess Who,” and I am like, “Oh man, these chords are so cool. Zac got here up with this cool chord construction proper right here. I like this.” That sort of factor.

You, Zac and Heath have constructed new realities since happening hiatus from The Shakes. For you, that is meant standing by yourself within the highlight. Zac has appeared completely happy in a sideman function, and Heath has appeared equally content material rooting himself in North Alabama the place his household is. What’s it like sharing the highlight once more?

I might say it is [required] some changes, as a result of for a few of us, it has been a very long time since we have been on the highway in an enormous touring occasion and dwelling out of a suitcase and never sleeping sufficient. It has been a brand new expertise, in a means. I feel we have all been actually improbable at serving to one another and being cooperative with one another. Like, “What do you want? How will we make this extra snug?” We’re a lot extra accountable.

A band reunion will be excessive stakes when the first motivation is burnishing the legacy or making most revenue. However the way in which you are representing the Shakes’ reunion on social media strikes a distinct tone. You teased the Shakes’ new music with a delightfully absurd meme of somebody impersonating a sea turtle laying eggs.

Alabama Shakes is from a small city, and we actually went to highschool collectively. And the entire thing began simply from wanting to write down unique music, and seeing how far we may get with it.

The goalposts at all times transfer: “Now we need to see if we will get a tour. Now we need to see if we will simply tour, and make this our job.” I really feel like that is simply one other goalpost of, “Let’s have a look at what sort of music we make now.” And it ought to be enjoyable. We’re all completely happy to be again collectively, particularly after such a very long time. We nonetheless get alongside, we nonetheless have quite a lot of enjoyable and we’re nonetheless joking round.

Brittany Howard (middle) leads the Alabama Shakes in a efficiency on July 26, 2025 at Coca-Cola Amphitheater in Birmingham, Ala.

David A. Smith/Getty Pictures

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David A. Smith/Getty Pictures

In your earlier touring days, I do not recall you specializing in the visible facet of manufacturing. However now, you will have the stage coated in greenery and also you emerge to swampy sound results. What are you as much as, enjoying with that imagery? 

The stage design is actually simply kudzu, and it’s undoubtedly our unofficial plant. And it is that sure time of the 12 months when the kudzu is actually thick and the crickets are singing at night time. It is sort of this little nostalgic place, particularly from our hometown. And I really feel prefer it made sense to sort of take the chance to do one thing inventive and do one thing true that every one sort of reminds us of house.

[In the past], we weren’t large into manufacturing. I feel part of it was simply letting music converse for itself. We had this sturdy perception that we do not want all of the lights and glamor to impress crowds, however now I really feel just like the perspective’s sort of like, “Truly, that is an artwork kind and it is actually cool.” I suppose that is a few of that maturity that snuck in.

I noticed you rocking what regarded a white, feathered caftan in opposition to the band’s naturalistic backdrop. What’s it like bringing your experimentation with futuristic, regal or otherworldly costume design right into a band that used to take joking pleasure in carrying common, outdated garments on stage?

I just like the pageantry. One factor I am actually impressed by is neighborhood theater, and the way in neighborhood theater there’s not a ton of cash. So it’s important to do sensible results and sensible issues to get the vibe throughout to the viewers.

There’s quite simple methods to make individuals really feel issues, really feel nostalgia or really feel emotion or current what sort of present that is. And I really feel like carrying these issues is honoring these songs and likewise honoring the viewers by placing on one thing uncommon. I really feel snug that means. I do not wish to really feel under-dressed.

The band was an area of youthful experimentation for you all, the place you discovered a sound collectively, and that blew up into one thing past your preliminary expectations. Can you place your finger on what it was that that pulled you again to that, in spite of everything of this different exploration that you’ve got been doing solo?

I feel a part of it was simply curiosity, given how a lot time [has passed]. Like, “Do you guys need to see what it appears like?” And I feel the curiosity was there for all of us, and all of us sort of put our rings collectively, you already know, Captain Planet-style.

I feel once we obtained to the studio, there was some emotions of, “How will we do that once more?” However all of us did have songs to contribute, and all of us labored that materials, sort of chiseled away at it to turn out to be one thing all of us have been stunned by. I feel as soon as we hit that time, I used to be like, “Okay, that is enjoyable. That is thrilling. I am excited to see what we do subsequent.”

By the point you all made Sound & Shade, you have been typically fleshing out extremely advanced tune demos by yourself, and you have continued that along with your solo albums. However I collect that is not how issues are on this period of Shakes music-making. A few of the new materials is rising out of riffs, licks and tune fragments Zac and Heath are bringing to the desk. How is the collaborative dynamic working? What excites you about being on the receiving finish of concepts now?

I used to be very able to collaborate. It is one thing I missed. I feel it was an enormous a part of the explanation I needed to name the blokes up and get again collectively once more. I lastly reached that time of, “I am accomplished barfing my expression out. I want to collaborate once more.”

I really feel like the blokes had actually good concepts. Some have been like 30 second concepts that wanted to be completed. Some stuff was full songs. It was nearly like working backwards, the place we’ve got actually nice items of music and now I have to hearken to this music and determine what it is saying.

What distinction do you are feeling like working in reverse has made to the brand new songs?

There have been instances within the studio the place I used to be like, “I do not know if I will end this in time.” There have been instances the place I had, like, every week and I had seven songs to complete and guitar components to place down and lyrics to place down and I am [putting in] 14-hour studio days. After which when that concept busts by way of, you are like, “I obtained it!” Simply the perfect, most gratifying feeling. And then you definitely hear all of it put collectively and you are like, “Sure, I can nonetheless do that.”

Have you ever encountered something really surprising on this journey of reuniting, returning to the highway and shaping new music collectively?

I have been very stunned how many individuals are coming to the exhibits. The persons are hyped. They’re simply singing alongside. They’re dancing. I tear up each time I play “This Feeling,” as a result of I am feeling it. I am so grateful that this has been how this all shook out, no pun meant.