Puff of Smoke, the highly-anticipated ninth studio album from Grammy Award-nominated Americana trio The Wood Brothers, is out today via Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers. The release is accompanied by a video for the title track, an improvised collaboration between the band members, that was directed, filmed, and edited by Chris Wood.
Recorded at The Wood Brothers' creative home-base The Studio Nashville, Puff of Smoke is brimming with joy in the face of the human condition in 2025, delivering lyrical wisdom with the winking subtlety of John Prine and the musical hive mind of a seasoned group with two decades of shared experiences. Yet instead of providing a literal soundtrack to uncertain times or a roadmap to navigate them, the 11-song collection posits a happily contrarian outlook: Life can turn on a dime, and all we truly have is the moment at hand.
"We're not in control and that can be good news," says guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Oliver Wood. "Puff of Smoke speaks to the idea of letting go and taking the ride."
Fans who have hopped aboard at waypoints along The Wood Brothers' near two decade journey that began with their now classic 2006 debut Ways Not to Lose already know to expect a new drop from the band will bring inventive songwriting, a grounded lyrical wit, and an adventurous sweep of sonic avenues.
"There's a lot to unpack musically in this band, and it's been this evolutionary process over the years and on each subsequent record," Chris Wood explains. "Over time, the diversity of things we can do has all become part of our language."
Always looking to find new sounds to express in their music, the album’s opening track "Witness" dives deep into the pan-American songbook, punctuated with a blast of back-alley New Orleans brass. On “The Trick,” The Wood Brothers' resident multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix found the song's signature sound by experimenting with a Fender Rhodes pushed through distortion and octave pedals. On "Above All Others," the band marries calliope sounds to power chords and an anthemic Queen-inspired chorus. The loose, front stoop feel of “Slow Rise (to the middle)” and “You Choose Me” are first-take gold; the final versions that made the album were actually the first times the trio played them together in full.
While Puff of Smoke distills The Wood Brothers' curious musical minds, voracious appetite for the creative process, and love of spontaneity, it also finds inspiration in the group's shared focus on meditation and mindfulness.
Oliver explains: "Songs like 'The Trick' and 'Witness' are very much about mindfulness. 'The trick is not to give a damn,’ so, that's detachment or, 'I'm just a witness,’ where I'm just watching things happen. I'm not gonna be my feelings. I'm gonna watch 'em float by. Even a song like 'Pray God Listens,' which is a little bit humorous and cynical, leaves room to go a little deeper to find compassion."
Puff of Smoke is a reminder that life is both precious and precarious — a sentiment underscored by our current geopolitical moment and the unpredictable nature of life itself — and The Wood Brothers invite you to join the ride.
Having already logged countless miles on the road this summer, including co-headline tour dates with St. Paul & The Broken Bones and numerous festival appearances, The Wood Brothers are not done yet, heading out in August for a run that heads down the East Coast from Massachusetts to Florida. Additional festivals and one-off dates follow, leading into an extensive Fall tour across the Midwest and Northeast beginning in November.
The Wood Brothers
Fall 2025 Tour Dates
8/7 - Deerfield, MA - Tree House Brewing Company
8/8 - Lowell, MA - Lowell Summer Music Series
8/9 - Stowe, VT - Strawberry Jam Festival
8/10 - Westport, CT - Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
8/12 - Annapolis, MD - Maryland Hall
8/13 - Richmond, VA - The National
8/14 - Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
8/15 - Charleston, SC - The Refinery
8/16 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
8/29 - Mill Spring, NC - Earl Scruggs Music Festival
8/31 - Charlestown, RI - Rhythm & Roots Festival
9/9-13 - Nashville, TN - Americanafest
9/10-13 - Las Vegas, NV - Bender Jamboree Fest
9/19 - Chattanooga, TN - IBMA Bluegrass Live!
11/6 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
11/7 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone
11/8 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester's Paristown Hall
11/9 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
11/11 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre
11/12 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theatre
11/13 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theatre
11/14 – Madison, WI - Wisconsin Union Theater - Shannon Hall
11/15 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
12/3 – York, PA – Appell Center for the Performing Arts
12/4 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
12/5 – Allentown, PA – Archer Music Hall
12/6 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre of Ithaca
12/7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
12/10 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
12/12 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
12/13 – Lebanon, NH – Lebanon Opera House
2/7-12 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise 2026
