ALBUM PREMIERE: AJ & The Woods Aim For the Rafters with Sweeping Roots Rock Anthems on New LP ‘For Her’

AJ & The Woods are a Cleveland, Ohio–based roots rock band blending Appalachian folk, Americana, and blues with modern rock energy. Formed in 2015 after a chance meeting between vocalist Alison Tomin and guitarist Joshua Alan Collins, the project has grown into a dynamic five-piece, adding depth through bass, drums, and fiddle.

Now, the band is aiming for the rafters with their new album For Her, a sweeping collection of roots-rock anthems that balances modern polish with an earthy, heartland spirit. The band’s latest effort feels tailor-made for open highways and festival stages, marrying the emotional grandeur of Florence + The Machine with the Americana sensibilities of The Chicks while carving out a distinctive identity of its own.

Beneath the record’s polished exterior lies a subtle darkness that gives For Her much of its character. Throughout the album, blues influences weave through the arrangements like ghostly echoes from a Southern crossroads, adding texture and depth to songs that might otherwise rest solely on their sing-along appeal. The production strikes a careful balance between contemporary rock sheen and the raw emotional pull of folk, country, and Appalachian traditions.

Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of For Her in its entirety ahead of its official release date on June 5th. From the opening notes of “Hope,” AJ & The Woods establish the album’s expansive sonic palette. The track bursts forward with arena-sized confidence, setting the tone for a record built around soaring choruses and dynamic arrangements. Elsewhere, “Send Me on My Way” showcases the band’s knack for tension and release, beginning with a gentle touch before gradually unfolding into something far more powerful. “Holed Eyes” follows a similar trajectory, pairing lush, understated vocals with a chorus that arrives like a tidal wave. One of the album’s greatest strengths is its ability to bridge genres without sounding calculated. “Life Worth Living” drifts through ethereal verses before blossoming into a roots-driven modern rock anthem, while “I Don’t Care” captures the kind of kinetic energy that suggests AJ & The Woods are at their best in front of a live audience. Even through headphones, the performance feels immediate and communal.

The result is a compelling collection that feels both accessible and deeply rooted in American musical traditions. AJ & The Woods continue to refine their place within the modern roots-rock landscape, but For Her suggests their appeal could stretch well beyond that scene. If this album is any indication, the band’s trajectory is pointing decidedly upward.

Listen to the album in full and read our interview with Alison Tomin and Joshua Alan Collins below…

Your record sounds amazing, who produced it?

Alison: Thank you! Mike Brown at Lava Room Recording in Independence, OH produced the record. We worked with him on our last record. He does fantastic work.

JC: Absolutely. We love working with him. Mike Brown really gives the national sound on a record.

Your band has such a unique sound, its roots and folk yet there’s this modern rock with a touch of darkness. Who are your biggest influences?

Individually or collectively as a band? Individually I’d say Billy Gibbons, George Thorogood. Maybe, maybe some Allman Brothers. It’s pretty eclectic, I’d say. My mom was always playing music in the background and mostly classic rock. My grandmother was born and raised in West Virginia. She listened to a lot of old-time music and that’s were we get our dark Appalachian storytelling from.

Alison: On my end, I would say Chris Thile and Punch Brothers, I’m With Her. All the kind of folk bluegrassy stuff. But I think as a band, we sound like John Mellencamp.

JC: Yeah, I think there’s John Mellencamp in there, it’s got fiddle. It’s got you know mandolin in parts. It’s got that big electric guitar. It’s got acoustic guitar. Very Americana, but Rock, folk rock.

If you could tour with any band of choice, who would it be?

JC: Bruce Springsteen

Alison: I know who I would want to hang out with, Punch Brothers, but I don’t think we would fit that bill. If I’m being realistic, I’d say, Florence and the Machine.

JC: That’s realistic for sure. Or the Black Crows or the Black Keys. But the heavyweight is Bruce.

What’s your writing process like?

Alison: We start with the music, and it is definitely collaborative. JC comes to me with a riff or some sort of guitar lick. Then he brings it to me. I figure out a melody and structure it into a song. Saying this would be a good verse, this would be a good chorus, now write me a bridge. From the mood of the song, I think of a theme and start to add lyrics to it. Lyrics always come last. It’s always a collaborative process between JC and I on the music first, because how many times do you hear a song and say, I don’t know the lyrics, but I like the song. Gotta have music that moves you and makes you feel.

JC: Every Pearl Jam tune ever.

Alison: Yeah, we take that approach. Got to like the song musically first then lyrics on top.

What’s next for you?

JC: We’re doing the album release show June 6, with Lea Marra & the River Boys and Maura Rogers & The Bellows in Cleveland, Ohio. That’s going to be a lot of fun

Alison: We are planning on going back into the studio and doing something different for us, recording a few cover songs in AJ & The Woods style. There are some covers we do at our live shows people really like that we think would be fun to record. We’re also planning on going back in and doing some live recordings of our original songs. Something to keep the music releases coming while we write our next original record.