Alabama Shakes Tackle These Crazy Times on New Song ‘American Dream’

Alabama Shakes have shared the new single “American Dream,” the second track the trio has dropped since their surprise reunion in late 2024.

“It’s a snapshot of what we’re living through in 2026,” singer Brittany Howard said of “American Dream” in a statement. “I look around and wonder how we got to a place where there’s so much strain and so little support. I mean, it shouldn’t be impossible to take off work so you can bring your child to the doctor—that’s actually insane. My hope is that one day people will hear this song and say, ‘Yeah, shit was crazy back then, but we made it through.’”

After nearly a decade of inactivity, Alabama Shakes — now Howard, bassist Zac Cockrell, and guitarist Heath Fogg — staged a surprise reunion gig in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in December 2024. That was followed by a 2025 tour and “Another Life,” the band’s first new song in over a decade.

Alabama Shakes will reportedly release their third studio album and first since 2015’s Sound & Color later this year. The LP will be the band’s first with Island Records, who they signed with in 2025.

“American Dream” arrives just days before Alabama Shakes return to the road on April 16 for a North American amphitheater tour. Along the way, the band will also serve as opening act for Zach Bryan concerts in Eugene, Oregon and Dover, Delaware.