Alabama Shakes End Decade-Long Silence with New Album ‘I Must Be Dreaming’

Alabama Shakes will release I Must Be Dreaming on August 28th, their first studio album since 2015’s Sound & Color. The decade-long gap was punctuated by Brittany Howard’s solo work, most notably Jaime, and a sense that the band’s future was an open question. The new record lands not as a reunion for nostalgia’s sake but as a trio deciding there is still something to say.

Produced by the group alongside Shawn Everett—whose six Grammys include work with Kacey Musgraves and The War on Drugs—the album was recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium and Blackbird Studios. Two singles, “Another Life” and “American Dream,” have already surfaced, sketching a sound that doesn’t try to replicate the gut-punch rawness of their early years but aims for a more measured, layered presence.

“I Feel Hope Coming,” the third single, arrives Friday. Howard frames it as a response to a political climate that often invites cynicism: “This younger generation makes me feel hopeful because they can see through all the political lies—that song’s about holding onto that hope, and refusing to give up.” Guitarist Heath Fogg adds, “It came from such a joyful moment of collaboration, and exemplifies everything I love about this band being reborn.” The quote signals a band not just reactivated but re-engaged, aware that silence can become a kind of refuge if you let it.

The album’s title hints at the surreal quality of re-entering a shared creative space after so long. I Must Be Dreaming arrives August 28th.