Article Contributed by New West Records
Published on 2026-03-28
Photo: Courtesy of The Deslondes
The Deslondes return with Don’t Let It Die Vol. 1 May 22, 2026 via New West Records. The 12-track set was recorded on analog tape and features renditions of songs by Swamp Dogg, Shelby Lynne, Johnny Cash, Clifton Chenier, and more. It was produced by the band’s John James Tourville and Ajaï Combelic (Sabine McCalla) at the band’s studio in New Orleans and follows their 2024 studio album Roll It Out which was met with wide critical acclaim. Stereogum named it one of the “10 Best Country Albums of 2024,” while No Depression called them “One of the most consistent bands putting out music today.” Saving Country Music said, “The Deslondes feel just as much like a musical institution as they do a ‘band.’ Along with 15 years of history and four albums from the New Orleans-based outfit, they have been chief collaborators both separately and together in some of the best roots music over that period.”
The Deslondes didn’t want to simply exalt their heroes and catalog their influences while recording the new covers album. They wanted to also give their friends a boost as well. The poignant and powerful collection includes new interpretations of old songs by artists who’ve guided the band for years, alongside new songs by peers, tourmates, and collaborators including Nick Woods, Pat Reedy, and the Kernel. “We have so many friends who are songwriters, and we just love their music so much,” says Tourville. “Riley (Downing) and Dan (Cutler) are always kicking around awesome, inspiring old songs for us to do, but for this album we really wanted to play some friends’ songs, too.” Downing says “These songs are very much a close part of our lives. They’re all part of our circle, this big organism that keeps influencing itself.”
Today, Holler premiered the video for the album highlight, “Moving.” Howe Pearson says, “Leonie Evans could sing anything on her own and cast a spell, so I think it’s cool that she is so committed to collaboration. This song is on one of her albums of collaborations, with musicians from New Orleans and all over. I like that this communal aspect is built into ‘Moving’ – the catchy chorus and call-and-response verses automatically bring people together. Props to Leonie for writing a song that brings people together everywhere it goes.” See the “Moving” video directed by Mike Vanata HERE.
Magnet Magazine previously premiered the video for the album’s first single, “Lawdy Mama” as well. Downing said, “‘Lawdy Mama’ is a song by Edgar Blanchard who played lead guitar in bands all over New Orleans while leading his own band Gondoliers immediately after serving in World War II. He recorded it with a few of the members in 57/58 and it would be his only single recorded on the Chess record label and remain unreleased for over 20 years. I found it on a New Orleans R&B compilation of Chess singles I had picked up somewhere and it was waiting patiently to explode as the very last track with the most ripping one-note guitar solos I have ever heard. Back when the band used to tour without GPS or cell phones, I put it on a mix CD and it stayed in one of our many, many binders of CDs for years and that is how it became a Deslondes family favorite.”
As the band chose selections for the album, they didn’t quite realize what they were creating: Together these songs all sound relevant to this particular moment in history, when the world seems to teeter on the brink of destruction. The first side offers visions of apocalypses both big and small, not just Swamp Dogg’s nuclear-fallout lament “The World Beyond,” but also Johnny Cash’s ghost-town story-song “The Ballad of Boot Hill,” and Drunken Prayer’s small-town eulogy “Cordelia.” Don’t Let It Die opens with the world ending and closes with a new beginning in its title track, one that reasserts the band’s values and embraces their community more closely. Each band member brought in a handful of songs to consider and Sam Doores says, “It wasn’t planned, but we definitely gravitated toward songs that felt relevant to the times we’re in right now. And that’s something I truly love about our band. We have this weird subconscious hivemind thing that none of us fully understands, but it does come together in a unified vision.”
Don’t Let It Die crackles with live energy, showcasing each band member’s personality. It is full of hellos and goodbyes, sad departures and cathartic arrivals, as befits a band whose members are away as much as they’re back home.
Seemingly always on the road, The Deslondes have announced tour dates that will launch April 18 in New Orleans, with the band also appearing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 25. Please see tour dates, with more to be announced, below.
Don’t Let It Die Vol. 1 will be available across streaming platforms, compact disc, and standard black vinyl. A limited white color vinyl edition will be available at Independent Retailers and is available for pre-order NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.
Don’t Let It Die Vol. 1 Track Listing:
1. The World Beyond (Swamp Dogg)
2. The Ballad of Boot Hill (Johnny Cash)
3. Cordelia (Drunken Prayer)
4. Try Again (The Kernel)
5. Moving (Leonie Evans)
6. I’m Gone (Kiki Cavazos)
7. I’m Coming Home (Clifton Chenier)
8. Family (Nick Woods)
9. Lawdy Mama (Edgar Blanchard)
10. Long Drives and Lonesome Mornings (Pat Reedy)
11. Where I’m From (Shelby Lynne)
12. Don’t Let It Die (Hurricane Smith)
The Deslondes On Tour:
4/18 – New Orleans, LA – Tulane University’s Crawfest
4/22 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live
4/24 – New Orleans, LA – Mirror Room (w/ Kiki Cavazos)
4/25 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
4/26 – New Orleans, LA – BJ’s Lounge (w/ Jackson and the Janks)
5/19 – Chicago, IL – Hideout
5/20 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
5/21 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
5/22 – Elkader, IA – Turkey River Cabin Concerts
5/24 – Park Falls, WI – The Big Dipper
5/25 – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse
6/6 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre *
7/2-7/5 – Chicago, IL – Fitzgerald’s American Music Festival
*w/ Margo Price
