Stories from the South

Jason Isbell's new live-sounding record Weathervanes features sharply observed songs about frustration and family

- DAVID CHIU

JASON ISBELL'S SEVENTH STUDIO album, May 2020's Reunions, got nearly universal raves. But, as told in the HBO documentary Running With Our Eyes Closed, making the record was a challenge for the Alabama-born singer and guitarist. At the time, Isbell, a recovering alcoholic, was going through personal and creative tensions with his wife, musician Amanda Shires. Then the pandemic forced him to postpone a tour with his band, the 400 Unit.

"Sometimes you have a hard time connecting with people, whether it be your bandmates, your spouse, whoever," Isbell tells Newsweek. "I think the documentary does a good job of showing people who are just trying to make the right choices and trying to be good people. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but you just keep moving, keep doing your best."

Isbell has moved forward both in music and life. On June 9, he and The 400 Unit-keyboardist Derry de Borja, drummer Chad Gamble, bassist Jimbo Hart and guitarist Sadler Vaden-are releasing their new album, Weathervanes.

"I wanted to make an album that gave people a similar experience to seeing the live show," he says. "That was a big part of the reason why I chose to produce this record myself [after working with producer Dave Cobb on previous albums] because it just felt like we could capture something here that felt a little bit more like seeing us on stage. And I think we did that. There are some louder moments, there are some really dynamic moments, a lot of electric guitars on this record. It was a lot of fun to make."