If you’re searching for insights into the state of the human condition in 2025, look no further than Puff of Smoke (due out August 1st via Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers), the highly anticipated ninth album of original music from Grammy-nominated progressive Americana trio The Wood Brothers.
Less a literal soundtrack to uncertain times or a roadmap showing how to live through them, Puff of Smoke posits a happily contrarian outlook: Life can turn on a dime, and all we truly have is the moment at hand. And that’s perfectly fine. “We’re not in control,” says guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Oliver Wood, “and that can be good news.”
Between the poetic observations of Oliver and his brother, bassist and vocalist Chris Wood — with percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix completing the trio — Puff of Smoke is an 11-song collection brimming with joy in the face of challenges, delivering lyrical wisdom with the winking subtlety of John Prine and the musical hive mind of a seasoned group with two decades of shared experiences.
Recorded mainly at The Studio Nashville, a creative space in the Sylvan Heights neighborhood that has become an essential companion to the band’s evolution, Puff of Smoke distills the trio’s curious musical minds, voracious appetite for the creative process, and love of spontaneity.
Puff of Smoke is a reminder that life is both precious and precarious — a sentiment underscored by our current geopolitical moment and the unpredictable nature of life itself — and The Wood Brothers invite you to join the ride.
Today, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the fourth single from Puff of Smoke, the standout track “Above All Others.” The song, co-written by band members Oliver Wood, Chris Wood, and Jano Rix, along with Langhorne Slim, is the only track to feature an outside songwriter on the album.
“We thought the world was lacking new calliope music and it should be combined with an anthemic rock n’ roll waltz! This is our version of Queen meets circus music,” says Oliver Wood. The mysterious and delightfully wonky opening gives way to a big, euphoric chorus before the band takes us back down to their lovely little carnival world, complete with soulful background vocals. As many have come to love about the Wood Brothers, they aren’t afraid to experiment and push their sonic boundaries with this tune to make for a deceptively dazzling listen that is sure to grab attention in the live setting.
Oliver Wood sums up the feeling of the song, saying, “I think we just had fun over doing the drama and the dynamics when recording this one. It felt joyfully out of character to hit big heavy power chords and mimic Freddy Mercury-style operatic and over-the-top choruses. Not that we could ever top what he did, but we could sure enjoy trying.”
LISTEN:
7/15 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory *
7/16 – Kansas City, MO – Grinders KC *
7/17 – Salina, KS – The Stiefel Theatre *
7/18 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
7/19 – Paonia, CO – Big B’s Delicious Orchards
8/7 – Deerfield, MA – Tree House Brewing Company
8/8 – Lowell, MA – Lowell Summer Music Series
8/9 – Stowe, VT – Strawberry Jam Festival
8/10 – Westport, CT – Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
8/12 – Annapolis, MD – Maryland Hall
8/13 – Richmond, VA – The National
8/14 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
8/15 – Charleston, SC – The Refinery
8/16 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
8/29 – Mill Spring, NC – Earl Scruggs Music Festival
8/31 – Charlestown, RI – Rhythm & Roots Festival
9/10-13 – Las Vegas, NV – Bender Jamboree Fest
9/19-20 – Chattanooga, TN – IBMA Bluegrass Live!
11/6 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
11/7 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone
11/8 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
11/9 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
11/11 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre
11/12 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theatre
11/13 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theatre
11/14 – Madison, WI – Wisconsin Union Theater – Shannon Hall
11/15 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
12/3 – York, PA – Appell Center for the Performing Arts (already announced)
12/4 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
12/5 – Allentown, PA – Archer Music Hall
12/6 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre of Ithaca
12/7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
12/10 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
12/12 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
12/13 – Lebanon, NH – Lebanon Opera House
2/7–12 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise 2026
*w/ St. Paul & The Broken Bones
#w/ String Cheese Incident
