Alabama Shakes has unveiled a new protest song titled “American Dream,” following their first original track in a decade. Frontwoman Brittany Howard's lyrics address gun violence, abortion rights, climate change, the wage gap, and President Donald J. Trump’s White House renovations. Howard described the track as a reflection of life in 2026.
Alabama Shakes returned last year with “Another Life,” marking their first new music in 10 years. The band has now followed it with “American Dream,” a protest song available to stream. The trio consists of Brittany Howard, Heath Fogg, and Zac Cockrell, whose last full album was 2015’s Sound & Color as first reported by Pitchfork. Howard penned the lyrics tackling pressing issues including gun violence, abortion rights, climate change, the wage gap, and renovations at the White House under President Donald J. Trump. In a press statement, Howard called the song “a snapshot of what we’re living through in 2026.” She added, “I look around and wonder how we got to a place where there’s so much strain and so little support. I mean, it shouldn’t be impossible to take off work so you can bring your child to the doctor—that’s actually insane. My hope is that one day people will hear this song and say, ‘Yeah, shit was crazy back then, but we made it through.’” Next week, the band kicks off a North American tour running through mid-June, followed by shows in Europe and the United Kingdom in July.