Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-05-28
Featuring Collaborations with Allison Russell, Steve Earle, Grey DeLisle and Garrison Starre
Today, Chris Pierce announces his new album, Songs for the Heavy Hearted, due out August 21. Produced by frequent collaborators David Resnik and Niko Bolas (Neil Young, The Mavericks), Songs for the Heavy Hearted captures moments in the lives of everyday people as they struggle with crisis and encapsulates everything that has been so emotionally resonant about Pierce’s music for more than two decades. Along with the news, he shares his new single “This Sunlit Morning,” a tender testament to resilience.
Listen to “This Sunlit Morning” via YouTube
Pre-save Songs for the Heavy Hearted
“‘This Sunlit Morning’ came from holding the weight of the times we're living in,” shares Pierce. “Every day, we're staring into some new kind of chaos, division, or corruption, and if we're not careful, it can start to pull us away from what is right in front of us. This song is about remembering to pause and reflect on what we’ve been blessed with. The simple things that can keep us rooted when the world starts feeling unsteady. We still have to get out there and fight for a better world. We still have to speak up for people whose voices are ignored or silenced. Sometimes, we need to pause just long enough to remember what we're fighting for in the first place.”
At its core, Songs for the Heavy Hearted is a diary of — and love letter to — freedom fighters everywhere; its constant refrain is that love, joy, hope and softness are not things we need to sacrifice to fight the good fight. Featuring stellar performances from Allison Russell, Steve Earle, Grey DeLisle, and Garrison Starr, the new album embodies the belief that “we shall overcome,” and this sentiment has never sounded more uplifting and within reach.
Like a healing musical balm, Pierce’s new album strikes a balance between the softness and kindness we all crave, with the resolve we need to face the horrors of the world. More than anything else, these songs showcase how to maintain integrity in impossible and unfair situations, and champion those who continue to show up and put their shoulder to the wheel.
“Sometimes, we’re going to get beaten and broken,” Pierce reflects. “But, even if you fire, arrest or threaten to imprison us, we’re going to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and start again the next day. I’m still going to be out there moving forward with my voice, harmonicas and guitar in hand.”
Starting in June, Pierce will bring his new music to Minneapolis, San Diego, Vancouver, and more cities, including stops in Nashville for an official AMERICANAFEST showcase and Huntington, WV, for NPR’s Mountain Stage this fall. See a full list of dates below and visit his website for more information.
Hailed by American Songwriter as “one of America’s most talented, gifted, and affecting artists,” Chris Pierce has been a singular voice in American roots music for over 20 years. Over the course of eight solo albums, many side projects, and more guest appearances than most could do in one lifetime, his powerful songs have given voice to the voiceless while shedding light into dark and hidden corners of the American dream.
Songs for the Heavy Hearted
1. This Sunlit Morning
2. First Day of School
3. Madonna of the San Joaquin
4. It Ain't Ever Wrong to Be Free
5. Kalief Browder (feat. Allison Russell)
6. Spirits All Over This Land
7. We Ain't There Yet (feat. Garrison Starr)
8. You Do Not Weep Alone
9. That Was My Pride (feat. Grey DeLisle)
10. Yours Can Go With Mine
11. Two Angels (feat. Steve Earle)
12. A Soft Place to Land
Tour Dates
June 13 — Columbia, MD — Columbia Festival for the Arts
June 16 — Bayport, NY — People’s Pub Bayport
June 19 — Westport, CT — Levitt Pavilion
July 24 — White Sulfur Springs, MT — Red Ants Pants Music Festival
July 28 — Minneapolis, MN — Icehouse
July 30–31 — Appleton, WI — Mile of Music
August 1 — Berwyn, IL — Fitzgerald’s
August 2 — Ann Arbor, MI — The Ark
August 22 — Pasadena, CA — Levitt Pavilion
August 26 — San Diego, CA — Holding Company
August 29 — Sutter Creek, CA — Yorba Wines
September 17 — Nashville, TN — The Basement (AMERICANAFEST)
September 20 — Duluth, GA — Red Clay Music Foundry
September 23 — Richmond, VA — Tin Pan
September 24 — Raleigh, NC — Pour House Music Hall
October 16–17 — Vancouver, BC — Kay Meek Arts Centre (JJ Cale Tribute Show)
October 20 — Tacoma, WA — Spanish Ballroom at Elks Temple
October 21 — Prosser, WA — Brewminatti
October 24 — Ferndale, CA — The Old Steeple
November 6 — Sellersville, PA — Sellersville Theater *
November 7 — State College, PA — State Theater *
November 8 — Huntington, WV — Mountain Stage
* with Steve Earle
