What A Time To Be Alive

On their 2013 debut and 2015s Then Came the Morning, the Lone Bellow sounded like the new darlings of the Americana movement, blending blues, country, bluegrass, and roots rock with energy, smarts, and unpretentious sophistication. With 2020s Half Moon Light and 2022s Love Songs for Losers, they shifted gears, adopting more ambitious production and aiming for a sound that was more strongly informed by indie rock and adult alternative acts. Clearly this is a group with no fear of changing lanes, and for 2026s What a Time to Be Alive, the Lone Bellow take another detour, only this time theyve split the difference between their rootsy and indie inclinations. The recording of the album was unexpectedly eventful -- the bands van was stolen before they were finished, which not only meant they lost their equipment but also the digital drives that contained the tracks theyd completed -- and while the frameworks of songs like "No Getting Over You," "Say," and the title track suggest the more artful approach of their more recent work, the energetic populist anthem "Common Folk," the swampy boogie of "After the Rain," and the soaring "Im Here for You" suggest that they responded to the crisis by embracing the comfort of their early days. (They even seem to be taking a shot at possible mainstream country airplay with an emphatic and seemingly sincere cover of the Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers hit "Islands in the Stream," which, true to the original, is a bit cheesy and beautifully crafted.) If the Lone Bellow are wavering a bit between two creative points of view on What a Time to Be Alive, there is no uncertainty in the execution; Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Pipkin sound firmly committed and passionate on this material, making the songs connect whether theyre kicking up a fuss or pondering love and loss at two in the morning. And with help from sidemen Julian Dorio on drums and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Geertsma, theyve made an album that satisfies even as it feels like the group is trying to have it both ways. They come close enough to making it work that What a Time to Be Alive will please practically all their followers. ~ Mark Deming