Switchback finds The Shootouts hitting their mark, elevating their palette of traditional country, contemporary roots, rockabilly, and Western swing, while maintaining their blue-collar, hard-working ethic.
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On the heels of their eighth Opry performance and Ryman Auditorium debut earlier this year, Akron, Ohio’s “Rustbelt Americana” torchbearers, The Shootouts, release their new album Switchback, on Transoceanic Records. Switchback is The Shootouts’ fourth LP, and the follow up to their acclaimed 2023 release Stampede, a #1 at Alt-Country and #4 on the Americana radio charts. 

Recorded in Nashville, TN, The Shootouts brought in Grammy-winner Dan Knobler, following his production of Allison Russell’s AMA Album of the Year, Outside Child, to produce, mix and co-engineer Switchback. Already garnering 5-star reviews and a Rolling Stone feature, Country Music People magazine called Knobler’s craft on Switchback, “astonishingly good production” on a “spectacular album.” 

Bandmates Emily Bates, Brian Poston, and frontman Ryan Humbert, whose distinctive lead vocals continue to draw comparisons to Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies, are joined on the tracks by some of Americana and country music’s most noteworthy players. Switchback opens with the lush fan-favorite “Trampoline,” followed by the high-energy rocker “The Other Side of My Life.”  Lindsay Lou, Sam Bush, and Mickey Raphael lend their talents to a rootsy take on the ‘80’s post-punk classic “Only You,” originally by Yaz, the iconic UK duo of Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke. Two country legends accompany Humbert on vocals, starting with Rodney Crowell on the country folk infused “Half A World Away”; and Vince Gill picking up the pace on an electrifying rendition of “I’ll Be Damned,” a song he penned and recorded in 1980. “Only Good at Goodbye” features a guest vocal by singer/songwriter Logan Ledger, with the renowned Russ Pahl on pedal steel.