Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit are set to return with their first album in three years. Dubbed Reunions, it’s due out May 15th via Isbell’s own Southeastern record label.
Reunions serves as the follow-up to The Nashville Sound from 2017 and sees Isbell hitting the studio once again with producer Dave Cobb. Nashville native Cobb is also known for his work with Sturgill Simpson and The Highwomen, the supergroup that features Isbell’s wife, Amanda Shires.
The new album is comprised of 10 tracks recorded with Isbell’s band of Derry deBorja (piano, keyboard, organ, omnichord), Chad Gamble (drums, tambourine), Jimbo Hart (bass), and Sadler Vaden (acoustic guitar, electric guitar). Additionally, David Crosby and Jay Buchanan (Rival Sons) contributed background vocals, while Shires played fiddle.
As an early preview, Isbell is sharing lead single “Be Afraid”, a rallying number about the importance of speaking up. “We don’t take requests, we won’t shut up and sing/ Tell the truth enough you’ll find it rhymes with everything,” Isbell exclaims with noticeable conviction. Hear it for yourself below.
In support of the new album, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will soon embark on a lengthy US tour. With dates running from late February until mid-November, the itinerary includes shows alongside Crosby, Strand of Oaks, Lucinda Williams, Chris Stapleton, and more. Get tickets here.
While Isbell hasn’t put out new material of his own in some time, he has collaborated with folks like Sheryl Crow, Strand of Oaks, and Josh Ritter, and memorably contributed to the soundtrack for A Star is Born as well as The Highwomen’s self-titled debut. He performed with the group during their limited numbers of shows, and also hit the road with Father John Misty last year.
Reunions Tracklist:
01. What I’ve Done to Help
02. Dreamsicle
03. Only Children
04. Overseas
05. Running with Our Eyes Closed
06. River
07. Be Afraid
08. St. Peter’s Autograph
09. It Gets Easier
10. Letting You Go
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 2020 Tour Dates:
02/29 – Tempe, AZ @ Innings Festival
03/26 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Music Festival
03/27 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
03/28 – Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre
03/29 – Montgomery, AL @ Montgomery Performing Arts Center
05/22 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
05/29 – Bethel, NY @ Mountain Jam
06/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Met Opera House *
06/04 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap †
06/05 – New York, NY @ Rooftop at Pier 17 †
06/06 – New York, NY @ Rooftop at Pier 17 †
06/08 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center ‡
06/09 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center ‡
06/11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Coca-Cola Roxy *
06/12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Coca-Cola Roxy *
06/13 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater *
06/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *
06/20 – East Moline, IL @ Rust Belt *
06/21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Stifel Theatre *
06/23 – Grand Rapids, MI @ DeVos Performance Hall *
06/25 – Toronto, ON @ Meridian Hall *
06/26 – Moon Township, PA @ UPMC Events Center *
06/27 – Williamsburg, VA @ Williamsburg Live at DeWitt Museum Lawn
06/28 – Boone, NC @ Schafer Center for the Performing Arts
07/18-19 — Whitefish, MT @ Under The Big Sky Festival
07/20 – Vancouver, BC @ The Orpheum #
07/21 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre #
07/22 – Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds #
07/24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Theatre #
07/25 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Theatre #
07/26 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl #
07/28 – San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts By The Bay #
07/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre #
07/31 – Reno, NV @ Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort #
08/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Eccles Theater #
08/02 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks +
08/04 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater#
08/05 – Little Rock, AR @First Security Amphitheater#
08/07 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater#
08/08 – Austin TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater#
08/09 – Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory#
08/20 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Danny Sanford Premier Center $
08/29 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
09/11-13 Bristol, TN @ Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion
11/06 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum
11/07 – Stockholm, SE @ Stockholm Waterfront
11/08 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
11/10 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
11/11 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
11/14 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
11/15 – Koln, DE @ Gloria
11/17 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
11/18 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
11/19 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre
* = w/ Strand of Oaks
† = w/ David Crosby & Friends
‡ = w/ The War & Treaty
# = w/ Billy Strings
+ = w/ Lucinda Williams
$ = w/ Chris Stapleton, The Highwomen, and and The Dirty Knobs with Mike Campbell