Souled American announce first album in 30 years, touring: hear “Boom Boom”

Chicago country cult legends Souled American have been laying down their unique, bleary-eyed brand of twangy rock since the mid-’80s, releasing four albums on Rough Trade followed by two on Moll Tonträger, and counting Jeff Tweedy, The Jayhawks, John Darnielle, Jim O’Rourke, and Counting Crows among their fans. They’ve never broken up but they’ve been mostly inactive since releasing 1996’s Notes Campfire, and a new anthology, Rise Above It, released via Omnivore Recordings last year turned back on the spotlight. Now Souled American have announced their first album in 30 years, Sanctions, which will be out April 17 via Jealous Butcher.

Guitarist Chris Grigoroff and bassist Joe Adducci made the album with longtime collaborators and engineers Jeff Hamand and Clark Hayes. The first single is the spare, weathered “Boom Boom” and you can listen to that below.

Souled American have a few live dates around the release of the album, including the Catskills’ Avalon Lounge on April 18, Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right on April 19, and Evanston, IL’s SPACE on April 26. They’re also playing Wilco’s Solid Sound festival in June.

Sanctions
Stranger
Fractured Sun
Boom Boom
Freeing Wheels
Sorry State
E.Q.
Everytime
Born Free
Living Love
Bad To Be Good
Unforgiven
We

Souled American – 2026 Tour Dates
Apr 18 – Playtime Presents: An Evening with Souled American – Catskill, NY
Apr 19 – Souled American: Record Release Show – Brooklyn, NY
Apr 26 – Souled American: Hometown Record Release Show – Evanston, IL
Jun 26-28 – Solid Sound Festival – MASS MoCA – North Adams, MA