Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-10-22
Dualtone Records alum Hayes Carll and current Dualtone artist Mountain Grass Unit come together for the new song “Railroad River Junction,” the latest single from the upcoming Dualtone 25th Anniversary compilation Keep Pressing On: 25 Years Of Dualtone, out December 4th. Carll and Mountain Grass Unit’s Drury Anderson sing tales that go “back 100 years” where “all the hopes and dreams and fears of the river and the railroad makes a stand,” before five-part harmonies light up the chorus. Produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, Phish), “Railroad River Junction” also shows off Mountain Grass Unit’s ability to combine deep roots, stacked harmonies, high-level picking, jam-band freedom, and melody-first songwriting into a sound that honors tradition without standing still.
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“It was so much fun to write, record, and watch this song come alive with Mountain Grass Unit,” says Carll. “If I were a younger man and I knew more than four chords, I’d ask them to let me join the band. But given things as they are, I’ll just appreciate the chance to make music together.”
“Working with Hayes was an absolute treat,” says Mountain Grass Unit’s Anderson. “This idea sprouted from Hayes’ fictional band ‘Railroad River Junction’ that he created with his high school friends years ago. We are super appreciative of his efforts to bring forward something so dear to him to record together!”
Keep Pressing On: 25 Years Of Dualtone is a 17-song collection of rarities and covers that brings together Dualtone artists past and present. Keep Pressing On includes The Lumineers, flipturn, Mt. Joy, Shakey Graves, Kathleen Edwards, Shovels & Rope and more in celebration of the label’s enduring legacy and the artist-first vision established by Co-founder (ret.) Scott Robinson and the late President and Partner Paul Roper, who passed away in 2024.
The album was announced in September with the release of The Lumineers’ new song “Isabelle Fly,” and Jack Van Cleaf’s cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Best of All Possible Worlds” which arrived alongside an official video directed by Kenna Salvant. Langhorne Slim released a memorable take on “What A Wonderful World,” the Bob Thiele/George David Weiss composition made ubiquitous by Louis Armstrong, and most recently Gatlin covered her musical heroes The Lumineers’ “Dead Sea”.
Keep Pressing On marks the third anniversary compilation in Dualtone’s history, following 2016’s In Case You Missed It and 2021’s Amerikinda: 20 Years Of Dualtone. While those collections celebrated the label’s history in their own ways, Keep Pressing On arrives at a particularly meaningful moment, honoring Roper’s legacy while looking toward the future. “They say if you want to succeed, don’t follow in the footsteps of your heroes, but rather seek what they sought,” says Dualtone General Manager and SVP of Artist Development Whitaker Elledge. “We're not trying to replicate what Scott and Paul built here. We're just trying to chase the same things they were after: meaningful art, genuine community, and sustainable careers for artists we believe in. June Carter Cash once told us to ‘Press On,’ and twenty-five years in, we intend to.”
Keep Pressing On: 25 Years of Dualtone Records Tracklist
Shakey Graves – “One In A Million”
flipturn – “Sad Disco (Pine Studios)”
Abraham Alexander – “Fire And Rain (feat. Joy Oladokun)”
Angie McMahon – “Clay Pigeons”
Futurebirds – “Yur Not Ded (2.0)”
Mt. Joy – “New President”
The Brook & The Bluff – “Fool Yourself”
Kathleen Edwards – “Dogs and Alcohol”
The Lumineers – “Isabelle Fly”
Gatlin – “Dead Sea”
Jack Van Cleaf – “Best of All Possible Worlds”
Mountain Grass Unit and Hayes Carll – “Railroad River Junction”
Shovels & Rope – “Te Amo (Reprise)”
Judah & the Lion – “Old Man”
Langhorne Slim – “What A Wonderful World”
Aubory Bugg – “Both Sides Now”
Gregory Alan Isakov – “The Parting Glass”
