After recently revealing plans to reunite for their first tour in over a decade, Alison Krauss & Union Station have announced their first new album in 14 years, Arcadia, and shared the first single, “Looks Like The End Of The Road”.
Due out March 28th via Down The Road Records, the album was self-produced by Alison Krauss & Union Station and includes ten songs penned by acclaimed songwriters Robert Lee Castleman, Viktor Krauss, Bob Lucas, JD McPherson, and Sarah Siskind. It is the first album to feature new band member Russell Moore of IIIrd Tyme Out, who contributes co-lead vocals and plays guitar and mandolin alongside Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Ron Block, and Barry Bales. Moore is the most awarded male vocalist in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), with six total wins.
“To say I’m excited about recording and touring with Alison Krauss & Union Station would be a huge understatement,” Moore said. “After 40 years of playing music full-time and leading my own group for 34 years, this opportunity is among the few things at the top of the list that my music career has offered me. My hopes and desires are to fill this spot in AKUS with the same professionalism, precision, and thoughtfulness as other members who have held this position before me, and I’m looking forward to the ‘ride’!”
“I’m so grateful to get to make music again with my comrades of 40 years,” Krauss added. “They’ve always accomplished incredible work individually and have been constantly traveling because of it. We’re very inspired to experience this new exciting chapter in the band’s history.”
Along with the announcement, Alison Krauss & Union Station released “Looks Like The End Of The Road”, which was “the one that first helped them reunite” after each pursuing successful solo careers in the ten years they spent apart, according to a press release. The song conveys a sense of regret, disillusionment, and loss, using the metaphor of a circus ending to symbolize the close of a significant chapter in life. The lyrics portray a narrator who reflects on the irreversible consequences of their actions, using imagery of fire, isolation, and drowning in “blood, sweat, and tears” to suggest a struggle with guilt and self-destruction, culminating in an acceptance that they’ve reached the “end of the road.”
Listen to “Looks Like The End Of The Road” below or on your preferred streaming platform, and click here to pre-order Arcadia on vinyl and CD.
Alison Krauss & Union Station will celebrate the album’s release with their highly anticipated reunion tour starting April 17th in Louisville, KY. Of the 75 shows, which include stops at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO), the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA), the Beacon Theatre (New York, NY), and more, many have already sold out. Find more on the tour here. Head here for tickets.
Alison Krauss & Union Station – “Looks Like The End Of The Road”