The Wood Brothers Release New Album, 'Kingdom In My Mind' [Listen]

Kingdom in My Mind, the new album from Grammy-nominated Americana trio The Wood Brothers, arrives today via Honey Jar/ThirtyTigers. The band will support the new release with an extensive world tour.

Recorded over a series of freewheeling, improvised sessions, Kingdom in My Mind is the band’s most spontaneous and experimental work yet. The 11-track effort is a reckoning with circumstance, mortality, and human nature. The material finds strength in accepting what lies beyond our control as it hones in on the bittersweet beauty that underlies doubt and pain and sadness with vivid character studies and unflinching self-examination. While the lyrics dig deep, the arrangements are buoyant and transportive, drawing from a broad sonic and stylistic spectrum.

“We all have these little kingdoms inside of our minds,” says Chris Wood. “And without really planning it out, the songs on this album all ended up exploring that idea in some way or another. They look at the ways we deal with our dreams and our regrets and our fears and our loves.”

On past albums, the band—which features brothers Chris and Oliver Wood along with Jano Rix—would write a batch of songs and then deliberately set out to record them. When it came to making Kingdom in My Mind, however, they began the process without even realizing it. At the time, the trio thought they were simply breaking in their new Nashville recording studio/rehearsal space, tracking a series of extended instrumental jam sessions as a way to test drive the facility.

“We weren’t performing songs,” continues Oliver. “We were just improvising and letting the music dictate everything. Somebody would start playing, and then we’d all jump into the groove with them and see where it went. Normally when recording, you’re thinking about your parts and your performances, but with these sessions, we were just reacting to each other and having fun in the moment.”

After listening back, the trio realized there was something undeniably alive and uninhibited in what they captured. So, like a sculptor chipping away at a block of marble, Chris took the sprawling improvisations and carefully chiseled out verses and choruses and bridges and solos until distinctive songs began to take shape. From there, the brothers divvied up the material that spoke to them most, penning lyrics both separately and together as they pondered what it takes to know contentment in our chaotic and confusing world.

You can listen to Kingdom in My Mind by The Wood Brothers in its entirety below or stream it on the platform of your choice here:

The Wood Brothers – Kingdom in My Mind – Full Album

The Wood Brothers are preparing to head out on the road in support of the new LP. Their tour will begin on January 29th at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, MD ahead of a two-night run at New York’s Webster Hall on January 30th and 31st.

See below for a full list of upcoming dates. For more information and ticketing details, head to the band’s website.

The Wood Brothers – 2020 Tour Dates

1/29 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live ^
1/30 – New York, NY – Webster Hall ^
1/31 – New York, NY – Webster Hall ^
2/1 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore ^
2/3 – Toronto, Canada – Mod Club Theatre ^ (Sold Out)
2/5 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center ^
2/6 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts ^
2/7 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall ^
2/8 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre ^
2/9 – State College, PA – The State Theatre ^
2/11 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre ^
2/12 – Richmond, VA – The National ^
2/13 – Chattanooga, TN – Walker Theatre ^
2/14 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman ^
2/27 – 3/1 – Punta Cana, DR – Avett Brothers at the Beach (Sold Out)
3/4 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom *
3/5 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent *
3/6 – Santa Barbara, CA – Campbell Hall *
3/7 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater *
3/8 – Eureka, CA – Arkley Center for the Performing Arts *
3/10 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater *
3/11 – Kirkland, WA – Kirkland Performance Center *
3/12 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *
3/13 – Vancouver, BC – Imperial *
4/2 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
4/3 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
4/4 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
4/5 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
4/7 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
4/8 – Columbus, OH – Southern Theatre
4/9 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
4/10 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
4/11 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
5/22 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival
5/29 – Charleston, SC – Spoleto Festival
6/4-6 – Oak Hill, WV – Mountain Music Festival
6/27 – Laytonville, CA – Black Oak Ranch

^ w/ Kat Wright
* w/ Birds of Chicago

View Tour Dates