Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-05-06
Photo: Courtesy of Chris Brennan
Today, the Susto Stringband, led by frontman Justin Osborne of the highly lauded alt-country band SUSTO, releases their new single “E-350” featuring Joshua Hedley. No stranger to life on the road, Osborne wrote the song as a dedication to the van that has carried him and his bandmates across the country.
The track comes from the upcoming Susto Stringband (Volume 2), due out May 29 via Missing Piece Records. It is one of the few songs on the LP that has not been previously released, joining a collection of bluegrass and old-time reworkings of SUSTO favorites. To accompany the release, the band has also shared the song’s official music video, a true love story to the titular E-350 XLT Super Duty. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Listen to “E-350” Featuring Joshua Hedley
Watch the Official Video for “E-350”
Pre-Order / Pre-Save Susto Stringband (Volume 2)
“I’m so excited to be releasing ‘E-350’ today, because it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve written, and having Joshua Hedley (one of my heroes) feature on the track was surreal,” shares Osborne. “Over the last 20 years, I’ve spent a lot of time on the road, in vans. Sometimes they break down, sometimes they keep on going.”
He continues:
“Last year my beloved E-350 (my second one) was totaled in an accident. Luckily everyone was OK, but the van unfortunately wasn’t. This happened in South Carolina, and I was many miles away in Texas. I was sad to not be able to say goodbye to the van before insurance took it away, so I wrote this song as an homage to the van and all the memories held within it.”
“The other piece of this story is that after the old van was totaled, we were able to raise enough money to buy another E-350, thanks to the generosity of our fans and supporters. During that fundraiser, I promised that if we met our goal, I’d record and release this song. So this one is dedicated not only to all those beautiful E-350s out on the road, but also to the wonderful folks who helped us purchase another van and get back on the road ourselves!”
To preview the project, the group has already shared the first two singles: “Hard Drugs” featuring Morgan Wade, a heart-wrenching reimagining of the classic SUSTO track, and “Hands In The Dirt,” a previously unreleased song about the importance of getting to work in times of turmoil and despair.
The upcoming LP follows last year’s Susto Stringband (Volume 1), which was praised by Glide Magazine as “a fantastic experiment and evolution of [Osborne’s] work,” while also earning acclaim from American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation, and others.
The Susto Stringband was born in 2022 when Osborne relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, and connected with key players from the city’s bluegrass scene during an open mic night. The lineup now includes Clint Roberts and Jackson Grimm of Holler Choir, Nat Copeland, Helena Rose, and Joey Brown. For this latest volume, the band also enlisted friends including Morgan Wade, Joshua Hedley, and Madeline Dierauf.
Still steeped in the emotive punch of traditional string band music, Susto Stringband presents an Arcadia-like vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature, though Osborne’s lyrics ensure there are still landmines to dodge and mountains to climb.
Loosely translated from Spanish, “susto” means “an intense fear understood as a condition of the soul.” The phrase has defined Osborne’s creative output since founding SUSTO in 2013 while living in Havana, Cuba. Blending Southern Gothic and psychedelia, SUSTO has released five studio albums alongside numerous live, supplemental, and special releases.
As an artist from the rural community of Puddin’ Swamp, South Carolina, inspired early on by gospel, bluegrass, and folk music, Osborne has come full circle with Susto Stringband.
Susto Stringband (Volume 2) Tracklist
1. Gloryland
2. Diamond’s Icaro
3. E-350 featuring Joshua Hedley
4. Hard Drugs featuring Morgan Wade
5. Hands In The Dirt
6. County Line
7. Work Away featuring Madeline Dierauf
8. Black River Gospel
9. Last Chance Linda
10. Don’t Feel Right
11. Tell My Blues
SUSTO Tour Dates
May 28 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis *~ (Album Release Show)
May 29 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall * (Album Release Show)
May 30 – Columbia, SC – Songbird Festival *
May 31 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic * (Album Release Show - Early)
May 31 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic * (Album Release Show - Late)
June 4 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater ^+
June 5 – Austin, TX – Continental Club ^
June 7 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler ^+
June 10 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Wednesday Campground Kick Off Party ^
June 12 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre ^
August 21 – Falkenberg, Sweden – Rootsy Summer Fest *
August 26 – Tønder, Denmark – Tønder Festival *
September 11 – Silver Bay, NY – Silver Bay’s Mountain Music Festival *
* Susto Stringband
^ SUSTO & Friends
~ with Joelton Mayfield
+ with Katie Pruitt
