NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bringing a bold new sense of abandon to their soulful fusion of timeless Americana and forward-thinking alt-rock, GRAMMY-nominated band NEEDTOBREATHE announces today their tenth studio album, The Long Surrender, via MCA slated for release on March 27, 2026. Pre-add / pre-save the album HERE, and listen to the album’s title track, available now, HERE.
Produced by 9X GRAMMY-winner Dave Cobb and recorded last year at his studio in Savannah, GA, The Long Surrender captures the band at their most vulnerable and instinctive, recorded largely live and driven by lead singer Bear Rinehart’s deeply personal songwriting. While NEEDTOBREATHE embraced a deliberately unfussy approach to the album’s sound, The Long Surrender endlessly pushes into gently inventive terrain, often bringing unexpected texture and energy to Rinehart’s soul-baring lyrics.
“NEEDTOBREATHE feels vital on this album,” Cobb shares. “They came in with open hearts and gratitude, focused on nothing but the truth. You can feel it in Bear’s voice and in the musicianship throughout the record.”
“In the beginning I didn’t even think I was writing for a record—I was just writing in a therapeutic way, trying to get my head around what I wanted my life to look like going forward,” Rinehart points out. “There’s always been a guardedness as far as how personal I get in the songs, or how overtly I express certain things, but this time I was writing everything down as I was going through it. It felt like the songs were coming from a different place, and where we ended up almost feels like a whole new band.”
Led by the early standout “Momma Loves Me” featuring The Red Clay Strays, the album reflects themes of faith, redemption, and renewed clarity — showcasing a band confident enough to strip everything back and let the songs speak for themselves.
“This album really clarified that, as an artist, I’ve got to put my convictions in front of anything else,” says Rinehart. “I poured myself into it without trying to shape it for anyone or anything, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing from here on out. It’s definitely a better indicator of where we’re headed than where we’ve ever been, and in a lot of ways it feels it’s our very first record.”
The Long Surrender Track List
- The Long Surrender (William Rinehart)
- Say It Now (William Rinehart)
- Highlands (William Rinehart)
- Sing To Me Savannah (William Rinehart)
- Where You Call Home (William Rinehart)
- Strangeness Of It All (William Rinehart, John Luke Carter)
- Take Me Dancing (William Rinehart)
- The Door (William Rinehart)
- Growing Slow (William Rinehart)
- Momma Loves Me (feat. The Red Clay Strays) (William Rinehart)
- Take The Blame (William Rinehart)
- Spread The Ashes (William Rinehart)
Starting next month, NEEDTOBREATHE returns to the road for the second leg of The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour. Originally an 18-date fall 2025 theater run intended to bring the band’s die-hard fanbase even closer to over two decades worth of music, the trek ended up capturing such massive demand and critical acclaim that the band doubled down for the spring. An acoustic take on their live show spanning hits and deep cuts across nine albums of originals, the 21-date expansion of the tour spans much of the South and Midwest, running Feb. 4 to March 7, 2026.
The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour 2026 Dates
2/4: Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
2/5: Tampa, FL – Hard Rock Cafe
2/6: Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Cafe
2/7: Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
2/12: Norfolk, VA – Chrysler Hall
2/13: Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
2/14: Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
2/15: North Myrtle Beach, SC – Alabama Theatre
2/17: Louisville, KY – Brown Theatre
2/19: Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
2/20: Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater
2/21: Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
2/22: Welch, MN – Treasure Island Resort & Casino
2/26: Davenport, IA – Capitol Theatre
2/27: Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre
2/28: Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center
3/1: Lubbock, TX – Buddy Holly Hall
3/3: Midland, TX – Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
3/5: Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Theater
3/6: San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for Performing Arts
3/7: Fort Worth, TX – Will Rogers Auditorium
ABOUT NEEDTOBREATHE
NEEDTOBREATHE is a multi-platinum, GRAMMY-nominated band known for their distinctive blend of Americana, alt-rock, and spiritual depth — earning five No. 1 albums, over three billion career streams, sold-out tours, and a devoted global following. The South Carolina–bred group — Bear Rinehart, Josh Lovelace, Tyler Burkum, and Randall Harris — enters a new creative chapter with The Long Surrender, their tenth studio album and first release for MCA.
Produced by 9X GRAMMY-winner Dave Cobb, The Long Surrender captures the band at their most vulnerable and instinctive, recorded largely live and driven by Rinehart’s deeply personal songwriting. Led by the early standout “Momma Loves Me” featuring The Red Clay Strays, the album reflects themes of faith, redemption, and renewed clarity — showcasing a band confident enough to strip everything back and let the songs speak for themselves.
“This album really clarified that, as an artist, I’ve got to put my convictions in front of anything else,” says Rinehart. “I poured myself into it without trying to shape it for anyone or anything, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing from here on out. It’s definitely a better indicator of where we’re headed than where we’ve ever been, and in a lot of ways it feels it’s our very first record.”
KEEP UP WITH NEEDTOBREATHE
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Media Contacts
The Lede Company
Jess Pettigrove
Jess.Pettigrove@ledecompany.com
Emily Leonard
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MCA
Ailie Birchfield
ailie.birchfield@umusic.com
Connor Hunt
connor.hunt@umusic.com
