Everything We Know About Little Big Town’s New Album, ‘Nightfall’
Following the release of their new single, "Over Drinking," on Sept. 9, Little Big Town unveiled plans to drop their ninth studio album. The new project, called Nightfall, will come out early in 2020, just one day after the group's landmark Jan. 16 performance at New York City's historic Carnegie Hall.
During that performance, USA Today reports, LBT will perform their new album in full; the group will embark on a theater tour following that kick-off performance. Singer Karen Fairchild tells the Associated Press that the choice of venue was intentional, in order to fit the body of work they'll be touring.
"The record feels kind of cinematic to me, but there's also a lot of beautiful intimate moments," she explains. "In a theater, this record is really going to shine." Read on to learn everything we know so far about the group's forthcoming ninth record!
The Title
On Sept. 9, the group officially revealed that their next record's title will be Nightfall. That name also lends itself to their accompanying tour, which will be called The Nightfall Tour.
The Release Date
Nightfall's release comes on Jan. 17, 2020 -- just one day after the group performs a special album release show at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall. That performance will mark the first time a mainstream country act has graced the venue's stage since Alan Jackson's 2013 Carnegie Hall show.
The Record Label
All of Little Big Town's records since 2008 have been released via Capitol Nashville. Their next album will follow suit.
The Producers
According to USA Today, Little Big Town self-produced their new record. This marks a departure for the group: LBT worked with producer Jay Joyce on their last record, 2017's The Breaker, as well as 2014's Pain Killer and 2012's Tornado (in 2016, they worked with Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo on their Wanderlust album.)
The Album Cover
Little Big Town haven't shared the details of Nightfall's album cover art yet. Stay tuned!
The Single
The new single from LBT's new project, "Over Drinking," is a beer-soaked, sway-a-long bar anthem dedicated to getting over a breakup. Co-written by accomplished Nashville songwriters Ashley Gorley, Cary Barlowe, Hillary Lindsey, Jesse Frasure and Steph Jones, the track is a swagger-filled, optimistic twist on a heartbreak tune.
According to USA Today, however, the song almost didn't make the album. After Frasure sent a video clip of the track to the band, Fairchild recalls, they scrambled to find time to record it. Ultimately, they got creative, making a makeshift studio, with taped-up insulation, out of their dressing rooms in order to record the guitar and drum parts. Later, they returned to a more conventional studio to finish off the vocals.
"I think it's the fastest we've ever heard a song, turned around and cut it," Fairchild remarks.
The Songs
In addition to the single, the group has shared a reflective and poignant ballad called "The Daughters," which will also appear on Nightfall. Released as a single in April, the track calls out the problem of young women growing up being made to believe that their worth is tied to physical appearance, and that they themselves are less important than their male counterparts.
In total, Nightfall contains 13 songs. Little Big Town's co-writers on the project include Daniel Tashian, Foy Vance, the Love Junkies and more. A full track list is below.
Little Big Town, Nightfall Track List:
1. Next to You (Hillary Reynolds, Michael Jade, Trevor Jarvis)
2. Nightfall (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Fancy Hagood)
3. Forever and a Night (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Foy Vance)
4. Throw Your Love Away (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna)
5. Over Drinking (Carey Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Steph Jones, Hillary Lindsey)
6. Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
7. Questions (Karen Fairchild, Jon Green, Sara Haze)
8. The Daughters (Karen Fairchild, Sean McConnell, Ashley Ray)
9. River of Stars (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
10. Sugar Coat (Josh Kerr, Jordyn Shellhart, Lori McKenna)
11. Problem Child (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
12. Bluebird (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
13. Trouble With Forever (Jason Saenz, Marc Beeson, Sara Haze)
The Tour
After their Jan. 16 Carnegie Hall date, Little Big Town will begin an ambitious theatre tour spanning through May. The trek will feature Caitlyn Smith as opener. Click here for details and a complete list of dates!
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