Country superstar and multiple Grammy Award winner Dwight Yoakam has released his first new album in nine years, Brighter Days, available now via Via Records/Thirty Tigers. Listen HERE.
In anticipation of the release, Yoakam unveiled three singles: “I’ll Pay The Price,” “Wide Open Heart,” and “I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)” featuring Post Malone. Watch and share the video HERE.
Written and recorded over the past three years, Brighter Days features 12 original tracks written or co-written by Yoakam, alongside three distinctive covers: “Keep On the Sunny Side” by The Carter Family, “Bound Away” by Cake, and “Time Between” by Chris Hillman of The Byrds. These songs are seamlessly integrated into a cohesive album that reflects Yoakam’s unmistakable style.
At once timeless and timely, Brighter Days was self-produced by Yoakam, blending a reverence for country music’s rich history with the adventurous rock and roll spirit of California. The result is a collection of songs marked by Yoakam’s signature “cool,” an ethos that has distinguished him from his contemporaries throughout his legendary career. Lyrically, the album is a masterclass in simplicity and depth, with every line carrying emotional weight. World-renowned engineer Chris Lord-Alge mixed the album, adding further polish to Yoakam’s vision.
Yoakam’s Cosmic Roundup & Rodeo tour continues with newly announced dates for Spring and Summer 2025, kicking off on February 6. Stops include New York City, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and more. [See below for the full list of dates.]
With over 26 million albums sold worldwide, Yoakam boasts five #1 albums on the Billboard charts. He has earned 21 Grammy nominations, 12 Gold albums, and nine Platinum or multi-Platinum albums. Among his numerous accolades are the Americana Music Association’s Artist of the Year Award, the BMI Country Awards’ prestigious President’s Award, and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2024, Yoakam received a Lifetime Achievement Honor at the Americana Music Awards.
Yoakam has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Beck, Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Hunter S. Thompson, and Jack White. His tours have included performances alongside legends like Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, and Hüsker Dü. His last album, Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars… (2016), received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone Country noting that “Yoakam sounds right at home” and NPR Music praising his “masterful choices on every phrase.”
Beyond music, Yoakam has appeared in over 40 films, including Sling Blade, Panic Room, and Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, where he starred alongside Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig. He has also had a notable role in Amazon’s series Goliath. Throughout his acting career, he has shared the screen with Jodie Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Jared Leto, and Matthew McConaughey.
Yoakam’s journey began in 1977 when he left Kentucky for Nashville. Disillusioned by the city’s shift toward pop-country, he gravitated to the post-Bakersfield movement in Los Angeles, becoming a pioneer of the L.A. Cowpunk Scene. Influenced by second-wave rockabilly and punk, Yoakam shared the stage with acts like X, Los Lobos, The Knitters, Rank & File, and The Blasters.
Dwight Yoakam – Brighter Days
Tracklist:
Wide Open Heart
I’ll Pay The Price
Bound Away (Cake cover)
California Sky
Can’t Be Wrong
I Spell Love
A Dream That Never Ends
Brighter Days
I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom) (with Post Malone)
If Only
Hand Me Down Heart
Time Between (The Byrds cover)
Keep On the Sunny Side (The Carter Family cover)
Every Night
TOUR DATES
November 15—Pompano Beach, FL—Pompano Beach Amphitheater*
November 21—Grand Prairie, TX—Texas Trust CU Theatre†
November 22—Beaumont, TX—Ford Park Pavilion‡
November 23—Corpus Christi, TX—American Bank Center Arena‡
February 6—Atlanta, GA—Fox Theatre**
February 7—Tallahassee, FL—Donald L. Tucker County Civic Center**
February 8—Baton Rouge, LA— Raising Cane’s River Center**
February 21—Oklahoma City, OK—Paycom Center§
February 22—San Antonio, TX—San Antonio Stock Show & Radio
February 23—Hidalgo, TX—Payne Arena§
March 20—Evansville, IN—Ford Center§
March 21—Milwaukee, WI— Miller High Life Theatre§
March 22—Duluth, MN—AMSOIL Arena§
March 27—Kalamazoo, MI— Wings Event Center**
March 28—Cedar Rapids, IA— Alliant Energy PowerHouse**
March 29—Bloomington, IL—Grossinger Motors Arena**
April 10—New York, NY—Beacon Theatre§
April 11—Poughkeepsie, NY—MJN Center§
April 12—Salamanca, NY— Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino§
April 24—Saint Charles, MO—The Family Arena§
April 25—Louisville, KY—Iroquois Amphitheater§
April 26—Pikeville, KY—Appalachian Wireless Arena§
May 8—Grand Junction, CO—Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park**
May 9—Colorado Springs, CO—Ford Amphitheater**
May 10—Loveland, CO—Blue Arena**
May 15—Amarillo, TX—Amarillo Civic Center§
May 16—Las Cruces, NM— Pan American Center§
May 17—Tuscon, AZ— Tucson Arena§
May 29—Orange Beach, AL—The Wharf Amphitheater§
May 30—Southaven, MS— BankPlus Amphitheater**
May 31—Camdenton, MO— Ozarks Amphitheater**
June 5—Indianapolis, IN— Everwise Amphitheater**
June 6—LaCrosse, WI—LaCrosse Center§
June 7—Mankato, MN— Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center**
June 19—Wilmington, NC— Live Oak Bank Pavilion**
June 20—Salam, VA— Salem Civic Center**
June 21—Richmond, VA— Riverfront Amphitheater**
*The Mavericks w/ Drayton Farley
†Joshua Ray Walker
‡Gary Allan w/ Joshua Ray Walker
§The Mavericks
**The Mavericks & 49 Winchester
