Bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings has announced So Much for Goodbyes, his fifth studio album. The project is dedicated to his late mother, Debra Apostol, whose artwork graces its cover. It’s out August 28 via Reprise and features lead single “Burn the Other End.” You can listen to that and check out Apostol’s original piece below.
“I made this record to honor my mother,” Strings said in a statement. “To notice and embrace this very significant period of grief in my life and make art from it. To turn my heartbreak into songs while using my guitar as a coping mechanism as I always have. It’s always been there for me to lean on through the hard times, and I figure it always will…until it’s my time to say goodbye.” Apostol died in 2025 of methamphetamine intoxication.
Strings, who is currently on a break from an extensive U.S. tour, recruited legendary producer T Bone Burnett for Goodbyes. It’s the pair’s first time working together.
Revisit our review of Strings’ last album, Highway Prayers.
So Much for Goodbyes
01 I’m One of Those
02 Burn the Other End
03 Carry Us Home
04 Lay Me Down
05 Lucid Daydream
06 Mill Town Flood
07 Live to Tell
08 Bluewater Breakdown
09 Light the Wall
10 I Like Train Songs
11 10,000 Miles From a Friend
12 Still I Crash
13 I Wish I Wanted To
14 Remember to Cry
15 Wrestling an Angel
16 Debra’s Waltz
