Billy Strings Announces New Album So Much for Goodbyes

Bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings has announced So Much for Goodbyes, his fifth studio album, out August 28 on Reprise. The project is dedicated to his late mother, Debra Apostol, whose artwork graces its cover. You can listen to lead single “Burn the Other End” and check out Apostol’s piece below.

“I made this record to honor my mother,” Strings said in a statement. “To notice and embrace this very significant period of grief in my life and make art from it. To turn my heartbreak into songs while using my guitar as a coping mechanism as I always have. It’s always been there for me to lean on through the hard times, and I figure it always will…until it’s my time to say goodbye.” Apostol died in 2025 of methamphetamine intoxication.

Strings, who is currently on a break from an extensive U.S. tour, recruited legendary producer T Bone Burnett for Goodbyes. It’s the pair’s first time working together.

Revisit our review of Strings’ last album, Highway Prayers.