Drew Holcomb’s “Strangers No More: The Worktapes” Out Today

Today Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors release Strangers No More: The Worktapes – an EP that features acoustic versions of select tracks from their ninth full-length studio album Strangers No More (June 2023). Recorded on an old 80’s tape machine by Holcomb and his longtime Production Manager and Engineer Thomas Dulin, the stripped-down versions show the bones of what have become some of the band’s most popular tunes (listen above). Get tickets for Holcomb’s Ryman shows HERE.

The journey from writing a song to making a record is always magic to me. I wanted to let you guys hear what these songs off ‘Strangers No More’ felt like when they came right out of the oven. I always write just me and a guitar, or a friend and a couple guitars. Here are the songs off ‘Strangers No More’ just like they were the day they were written. As you can see, they often evolved into something quite different than they were originally conceived. For “Find Your People” for instance, what started as a quiet ballad about the gift of friendship grew into a stomp and holler folk anthem. This evolution is one of the beautiful things about record making. But I always love the way the songs feel at the very beginning, raw, unplugged, full of youth and energy and angst. I hope you enjoy this “Worktapes” project. It’s a peek behind the curtain that I am thrilled to share with you all. Recorded using an old 80’s tape machine, much like many of my favorite old records.
– Drew Holcomb

Since the release of Strangers No More – an album that celebrates community, collaboration, and a love for contemporary American Roots music – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors have been going non-stop. They returned to Bonnaroo last Spring before spending the summer as direct support for Darius Rucker. In July the band performed their #1 Americana Single “Find Your People” on CBS Saturday Morning along with “All the Money in the World” and “Fly.” They spent the fall headlining dates throughout the US, made their first ever appearance on Live with Kelly & Mark in October and spent November on tour with The Head and The Heart. On Thanksgiving Day, the band joined Cher, Jon Batiste, Brandy, Pentatonix, and more to make their Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut – performing on Solo Stove’s “Igniting Memories” float. Then on December 26th Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors capped off the year with a return to Live with Kelly & Mark to perform “Dance With Everybody.”