That Eric Alper

Puff of Smoke, the highly-anticipated ninth studio album from Grammy Award-nominated, progressive Americana trio The Wood Brothers, has been announced for release on August 1, 2025, via Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers. It’s preceded today by the album’s first single “Witness” and accompanied by a video for the song that was filmed and edited by founding member and bassist Chris Wood.

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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. But 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.

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“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.”
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Fans who have hopped aboard at waypoints along The Wood Brothers’ 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.
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“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.”
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“This album is a little bit schizophrenic and eclectic,” continues Oliver. “It goes in a number of different directions.”

Always looking to find new sounds to express in their music, the album’s opening track “Witness” dives deep into the pan-American songbook, garnished 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,” he manipulated an analog synth to conjure the calliope sounds that give the song the sonic stamp of subconscious rumination. 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.
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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.
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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’ — 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 the compassion.”
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​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.
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The summer months leading into the release of Puff of Smoke find The Wood Brothers on the road with festival dates and headline shows across the U.S., including Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Sun, Sand and Soul, Del McCoury’s Delfest and Rochester Jazz Festival, as well as a co-headline run with St. Paul & The Broken Bones beginning in June.

Puff Of Smoke​ ​Track Listing​:
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​1. Witness
2. Puff of Smoke
3. Pray God Listens
4. Money Song
5. The Trick
6. Is It Up To You
7. Above All Others
8. The Waves
9. Slow Rise (to the middle)
10. You Choose Me
11. Till The End
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The Wood Brothers​
Tour Dates
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​5/3 – Miramar Beach, FL – Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Sun, Sand and Soul
5/16 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater #
5/17 – Charlotte, NC – The Amp Ballantyne #
5/18 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights #
5/20 – Norfolk, VA – Virginia Arts Festival
5/21 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
5/22 – Cumberland, MD – DelFest
5/23 – King of Prussia, PA – Concerts Under the Stars
5/24 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
6/11 – Dillon, CO – Dillon Amphitheater *
6/12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden & Arboretum *
6/14 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater *
6/15 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle *
6/18 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts *
6/19 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort & Casino *
6/20 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery *
6/21 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl *
6/23 – Chautauqua, NY – Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
6/24 – Rochester, NY – Rochester International Jazz Fest
7/10 – Indianapolis, IN – Rock The Ruins *
7/11 – Cleveland, OH – MGM Northfield Park *
7/12 – Interlochen, MI – Interlochen Center for the Arts *
7/13 – Fort Wayne, IN – Sweetwater Performance Pavilion *
7/15 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory *
7/16 – Kansas City, MO – Grinders KC *
7/17 – Salina, KS – The Stiefel Theatre *
7/18 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
7/19 – Paonia, CO – Big B’s Delicious Orchards
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
9/10-13 – Las Vegas, NV – Bender Jamboree Fest
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# w/ The String Cheese Incident​
* w/ St. Paul & The Broken Bones