AlbumBilly StringsSo Much for Goodbyes
Billy Strings Announces 'So Much for Goodbyes,' With Cover Art by His Late Mother
The fifth studio album arrives August 28 on Reprise Records with 16 tracks produced by T Bone Burnett and Strings, and cover art painted by his mother, Debra Apostol.
Jun 30, 2026
Billy Strings will release So Much for Goodbyes, his fifth studio album, on August 28 through Reprise Records. The record carries 16 tracks and was produced by T Bone Burnett and Strings, the first time the two have worked together.
The cover is an original piece by Strings’ mother, Debra Apostol, who died on June 20, 2025. Strings has said the album was made in response to her death.
The announcement arrived with the lead single “Burn the Other End,” co-written by Strings and Paul Hoffman, released alongside an official video.
A record made after his mother’s death
Strings announced his mother’s death publicly on June 20, 2025, hours after playing a show in Michigan. Her artwork is credited on the album as “Original Artwork by Debra Apostol,” and the closing track is titled “Debra’s Waltz.”
In the announcement, Strings described the record as a response to that loss.
“I made this record to honor my mother,” he said. “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.”
Recorded in Nashville across two weeks in January
The main sessions ran January 17 to 23 and January 27 to 31, 2026, at Sound Emporium in Nashville, engineered by Brandon Bell. “Debra’s Waltz” was cut separately on January 12 at Third Man Studios in Nashville, with additional recording at Belair on February 21.
Michael Piersante mixed the album at The Village in Los Angeles. Gavin Lurssen mastered it, Jeff Powell handled the vinyl mastering at Take Out Vinyl in Memphis, and Bill Orner is credited as executive producer.
The vinyl was plated and pressed at Paramount Pressing & Plating in Denver, a plant founded by engineer Gary Salstrom and David Rawlings.
The sequence
| # | Track |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm One of Those (4:23) |
| 2 | Burn the Other End (4:39) |
| 3 | Carry Us Home (4:14) |
| 4 | Lay Me Down (4:02) |
| 5 | Lucid Daydream (6:38) |
| 6 | Mill Town Flood (5:06) |
| 7 | Live to Tell (6:29) |
| 8 | Bluewater Breakdown (3:36) |
| 9 | Light the Way (2:47) |
| 10 | I Like Train Songs (4:48) |
| 11 | 10,000 Miles From a Friend (5:10) |
| 12 | Still I Crash (5:03) |
| 13 | I Wish I Wanted To (6:45) |
| 14 | Remember to Cry (3:50) |
| 15 | Wrestling an Angel (3:47) |
| 16 | Debra's Waltz (4:12) |
The album runs 1 hour, 15 minutes and 29 seconds.
Formats and prices
The artist’s store lists four editions. The LP is a two-disc set running sides A through D.
| Format | Price |
|---|---|
| CD | $14.98 |
| Black vinyl, two-disc LP | $39.98 |
| Wood grain vinyl, store exclusive | $39.98 |
| Picture disc, limited edition | $65.98 |
The label’s own announcement also named a “sun core” vinyl variant, which the artist’s store does not carry.
So Much for Goodbyes is available through the Billy Strings store.
So Much for Goodbyes by Billy Strings, announced June 30, 2026 and scheduled for release August 28, 2026 on Reprise Records. Sixteen tracks. Produced by T Bone Burnett and Billy Strings, recorded at Sound Emporium, Nashville, mixed by Michael Piersante and mastered by Gavin Lurssen. Cover artwork by Debra Apostol.
Sources: Billy Strings official credits, Billy Strings store, Grateful Web, Pitchfork, Lansing State Journal.
