In an age when it’s increasingly difficult to discern what’s actually real, Singing River stands poised to point the way forward with our sanity—and good taste—intact. With their upcoming EP Shoutin’ Good Time, the roots/Americana sextet issues a timely reminder that music requires the human spirit in order to give it life, and that the art of curation will never go out of style.
After recording primarily as a duo for their 2024 full-length Talkin’ Destination Blues, co-founders Mike James and Anthony Kuhn reconstituted the group as a full-blown six-piece ensemble for Shoutin’ Good Time. Naturally, this gave James and Kuhn more colors and timbres to work with. Their new EP, Shoutin’ Good Time, is set to arrive in 2026.
The new single from the anticipated EP, “I Thought I Heard Bob Dylan Say,” is an infectious introduction to this refreshing band. The swaying waltz of a tune introduces the band’s distinct approach to tradition, not too crowded with familiar tropes, yet not so experimental as to dilute the purity. “I Thought I Heard Bob Dylan Say” takes the wisdom left behind by American music icons and spins it into a contemporary anthem, while highlighting the nuances Singing River is adding to the genre’s colorful history. While it is easy to get lost in the arrangement’s evolving, hypnotic swing, the lyrics take your hand and guide you on an emotional yet uplifting journey, a reminder that the problems that exist today have always been there, and that the only way out of the storm is through it. Singing River is slowly becoming a force of nature in a burgeoning folk-rock scene, and their latest single not only proves this sentiment but also cements the band as a forward-thinking act unafraid to reshape the genre they hold dearly.
