The Band of Heathens’ latest single may be called “No Direction,” but after 20 years together, there’s no doubt that the group has found their way.
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With an easy vibe akin to sitting around a campfire with lifelong pals, and a layered production with both country and rock vibes, “No Direction” is the perfect taste of what’s brewing on the band’s forthcoming LP, Country Sides.
“It’s kind of a love letter to all the things we leave behind as we go out chasing this crazy dream in music,” Gordy Quist told American Songwriter. “We’re constantly on the move, but there’s a lot of love and inspiration where we started from. I think the song is trying to put those things together and make sense of leaving some things that you love in pursuit of something.”
What to Expect on The Band of Heathens’ Country Sides
Serving as the opening track on Country Sides, “No Direction” is “one of the centerpieces of the record,” which houses “a storytelling, emotional arc” that covers the band’s two decades together.
“No Direction,” Quist said, “represents that initial inspiration when you’re a young band, discovering the power of music and wanting to get out there and just do it.”
As the 11-track LP continues, the songs transition to covering the mid-point of their career, when they found themselves grinding and “questioning what we’re doing,” Ed Jurdi explained.
Eventually, that uncertainty gives way to where they are now, luxuriating in a feeling of “hard won resolve.”
“That’s the ending of the record,” Jurdi said. “We’re finding a level of gratitude and understanding, and meaning of what all of the journey has been about.”
Nothing illustrates the band’s current sure-footedness more than the fact that they recorded the LP in just one week.
“I think it was just an idea of really capturing the snapshot at this point in time,” Jurdi explained of the expedited timeline. “Everyone was really committed to doing that, which was really exciting. I think that really informed the vibe of the record, the feel of it and the spirit of it.”
The Band of Heathens Reflect on Their Past, Look Ahead to the Future
With Country Sides due out Feb. 20, Jurdi said that 2026 has “more bigger and better things” in store for The Band of Heathens.
“I feel like we’re at a time where we need music to bring us together more than ever. That’s kind of always been our mantra with our music,” he said. “… We’re grateful to be here. Happy to be alive, happy to be healthy, and happy to be playing music. I don’t take any of it for granted.”
Looking back on The Band of Heathens’ decades-long career, Quist said one word comes to mind: gratitude.
“We’re just grateful that people still show up to see us play live, people still listen to our records. We’re still feeling creative. We still enjoy making music together. We’re still all friends and get along, and can’t wait to get on the bus and play more shows,” he said. “It’s not something I ever would have imagined when we started out, that we’d be here this far in, but I’m certainly grateful for it.”
Photo by Lance Wilson
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