Songs For The Heavy Hearted

Chris Pierce announces his new album, "Songs For The Heavy Hearted", due out August 21st, 2026. Produced by frequent collaborators David Resnik and Niko Bolas, the new album captures moments in the lives of everyday people as they struggle with crisis and encapsulates everything that has been so emotionally resonant about Pierce’s music for more than 2 decades. Along with the news, he shares his new single, “This Sunlit Morning,” a tender testament to resilience.

“‘This Sunlit Morning’ came from holding the weight of the times we're living in”, shares Pierce. “Every day, we're staring into some new kind of chaos, division, or corruption, and if we're not careful, it can start to pull us away from what is right in front of us. This song is about remembering to pause and reflect on what we’ve been blessed with. The simple things that can keep us rooted when the world starts feeling unsteady. We still have to get out there and fight for a better world. We still have to speak up for people whose voices are ignored or silenced. Sometimes, we need to pause just long enough to remember what we're fighting for in the first place”.

At its core, "Songs For The Heavy Hearted" is a diary of, and love letter to, freedom fighters everywhere, its constant refrain is that love, joy, hope and softness are not things we need to sacrifice to fight the good fight. Featuring stellar performances from Allison Russell, Steve Earle, Grey DeLisle, and Garrison Starr, the new album embodies the belief that 'we shall overcome', and this sentiment has never sounded more uplifting and within reach.

Like a healing musical balm, Pierce’s new album strikes a balance between the softness and kindness we all crave, with the resolve we need to face the horrors of the world. More than anything else, these songs showcase how to maintain integrity in impossible and unfair situations, and champion those who continue to show up and put their shoulder to the wheel.

“Sometimes, we’re going to get beaten and broken”, Pierce reflects. “But, even if you fire, arrest or threaten to imprison us, we’re going to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and start again the next day. I’m still going to be out there moving forward with my voice, harmonicas and guitar in hand”.

Starting in June, Pierce will bring his new music to Minneapolis, San Diego, Vancouver, and more cities, including stops in Nashville for an official 'Americanafest' showcase and Huntington, WV, for NPR’s Mountain Stage this fall.

Hailed by American Songwriter as “one of America’s most talented, gifted, and affecting artists”, Chris Pierce has been a singular voice in American roots music for over 20 years. Over the course of 8 solo albums, many side projects, and more guest appearances than most could do in one lifetime, his powerful songs have given voice to the voiceless while shedding light into dark and hidden corners of the American dream.