Americana favorites The Lone Bellow have released their sixth studio album, What a Time to Be Alive, out now via their own Burley Bellow Music in partnership with Thirty Tigers . The 12-track collection arrives just days before Valentine's Day, a fitting release date for an album so steeped in themes of love, friendship, and human connection .
The album marks a bold new chapter for the Nashville-by-way-of-Brooklyn trio. For the first time, founding members Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Pipkin collaborated fully with their touring band—drummer Julian Dorio and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Geertsma—during the writing process . After a writing retreat at a converted firehouse in Henderson, Kentucky, the group traveled to the legendary Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record live off the floor at Ivy Manor Studios . "People just sat at whatever instrument they were feeling, and then we'd jam until we had a song," Elmquist explains. "It felt like we were teenagers again playing in a garage" .
What makes the album's arrival so remarkable is the adversity the band overcame to create it. While on tour in Chicago, thieves broke into their van and stole equipment, clothes, and most devastatingly, a hard drive containing early mixes of the record . "We were actually mixing the record while we were on the road, and we lost a lot of the information," Williams recalls . When news of the theft broke, fans rallied immediately, raising $25,000 within hours to help the band replace their gear and return to the studio . "It's very humbling," says Pipkin, "but it's also very motivating. It pushed us to be even more honest, brave, and present" .
From the gritty, Stones-tinged opener "After the Rain" to the soul-stirring title track that closes the album, What a Time to Be Alive channels the ecstatic energy of the band's renowned live shows . Standouts include the stirring anthem "Common Folk," the intimate "You Were Leaving," and the band's long-requested studio version of the Bee Gees cover "Islands in the Stream," which has become a crowd favorite during live performances .
The album also showcases the band's willingness to experiment. "Staring at the Sun" injects unexpected humor into their typically serious lyrical approach, while "Say" contains only 18 words—a first for the band . Williams notes that the album represents a shift toward creating more space in their arrangements, allowing the music to breathe .
"This record encapsulates everything we love and respect about each other," says Williams. "It's a snapshot of the friendships we've built over the last decade-and-a-half, of how far we've come and how much we've grown" . With its themes of resilience and gratitude, What a Time to Be Alive stands as a testament to the enduring bond between the band and their devoted community .
The Lone Bellow is currently on tour in support of the album, with dates scheduled across the Midwest and beyond .
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