Yonder Mountain String Band

GRAMMY-nominated Yonder Mountain String Band set the tone for a new way forward in acoustic music, carrying bluegrass into rooms and conversations it had never reached before. Nearly three decades later, that same spirit still guides them, alive and present on Good As True (2026), the band’s 12th studio album, released March 2026. The record captures Yonder in full stride. It’s unguarded and in motion, preserving the spark of musicians playing in real time and leaning into everything they have learned along the way.

Good As True (2026) digs into communication, the conversations that carry us forward and the ones that fall apart. The things we say, the things we mean, and what gets lost in between.

“Brand New Heartache,” the album’s lead single, lives in that fragile moment after a breakup when heartbreak and forward motion exist at the same time. Built on rock-leaning verses and a bluegrass-lifted chorus, it turns loss into motion and sets the tone for the record. From the indelible guitar riff and self-reckoning at the heart of “Blind” to the sharp, sarcastic truth of “Long Ride,” the album stays rooted in real life, tracing personal and political fractures on “Nothing New” and “The Lie.” “One to One Another” and “Always Almost” linger in the struggle to connect.

“Barroom Feather” stands on its own. Recorded live in the studio, the song began with lyrics and drifted into a spontaneous jam that became one of the record’s most expansive moments, stretching past sixteen minutes. Anchored by a subtle drum track, it broadens the band’s rhythmic range without losing Yonder’s acoustic core.

Across eight original tracks co-written by Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass vocals), and Nick Piccininni (mandolin, vocals), Good As True (2026) reflects a group writing from inside their own history, relationships, and the world around them. Brought to life by the full five-piece lineup, including fiddle player Coleman Smith, the album carries the interplay and identity of the band as it exists today. The songs move between drive, reflection, humor, and weight. It is forward-looking and fully alive, a reminder that Yonder Mountain String Band’s story is still unfolding.