Good Grief is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. It was released on August 28, 2026, by Epic Records.
Background Good Grief is Bareilles' first studio album since Amidst the Chaos (2019). In a press release, Bareilles described Good Grief as a "collection of songs [that feel] like transmissions rather than a deliberate attempt to make sense of the world", adding that her goal with it was to "[provide] some kind of comfort or catharsis" to listeners who have navigated through grief, which is the central topic of this album.
The album was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Woodstock, New York and album co-producer Aaron Dessner's Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley. The album was co-produced by Bareilles, Dessner, and Jonathan Low.
Promotion The album's lead single, "Home", was released on June 3, 2026 in tandem with the album's announcement. The song was inspired by a conversation Bareilles listened to between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper on the latter's podcast in which the topics of grief and loss were discussed. The second single, "Still Crying", was released on July 31, 2026. On the album's release day, the music video for "Just a Kid" was released.
Bareilles will support the album with the release of a documentary film, titled Good Grief, and a headlining tour in the fall of 2026.
Track listing
Personnel Credits are adapted from Tidal. Musicians
Sara Bareilles – vocals (all tracks), dulcimer (tracks 1, 2), piano (3–7, 10, 11, 13, 14), shaker (3), programming (4, 5, 10), acoustic guitar (4, 12), synthesizer (5, 13), Wurlitzer piano (6), keyboards (10), bass synthesizer (11, 13) Butterfly Boucher – electric guitar (1, 2, 8), piano (4, 5), vocals (5, 8), synthesizer (6); bass guitar, percussion (8); Mellotron (9) Charley Drayton – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 8), percussion (1, 2, 5, 8, 9) Misty Boyce – synthesizer (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 13), Hammond organ (1, 2, 8), piano (1, 2, 9); Clavinet, percussion, vocals (8) Solomon Dorsey – acoustic guitar (1, 8), upright bass (1, 9), bass guitar (2, 8), bass synthesizer (6, 13), vocals (8) Aaron Dessner – acoustic guitar (1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13), resonator guitar (1, 6), bass guitar (3–5, 7, 10, 14), electric guitar (3, 4, 10), percussion (3, 4, 8), drums (3, 4, 14); piano, programming (3); Mellotron (4, 8), synthesizer (4, 10, 11, 14), mandolin (6); bass synthesizer, guitar, shaker, tambourine (10) Rich Hinman – pedal steel guitar (2, 6, 8, 13), acoustic guitar (4, 5, 13); electric guitar, piano (4) Madison Cunningham – electric guitar (2, 11), 12-string acoustic guitar (2), acoustic guitar (5, 13), piano (5) Rob Moose – electric guitar (2, 6, 8, 12), vocals (8), acoustic guitar (9, 12), strings (12, 13); bass guitar, piano, viola, violin (12); string arrangement (13) Jonathan Low – bass guitar (2) Josh Dion – drums (4, 5, 10) Andrea Gibson – spoken word (4) Meshell Ndegeocello – bass synthesizer (5), bass guitar (8) Kurt Uenala – programming, synthesizer (5) Charity Dawson – percussion, vocals (8) Louis Cato – electric guitar (8) Chris Thile – mandolin (1, 8) Henri Bardot – drums, guitar (12) Jon Nellen – drums, percussion (12) Chris Morrissey – bass guitar (12) Brandi Carlile – vocals (12) Stuart Bogie – clarinet (14) JT Bates – drums (14)
Technical
Sara Bareilles – production (1–11, 13, 14) Aaron Dessner – production (3, 7, 10, 14), additional production (1, 4–6, 8, 11) Rob Moose – production, engineering (12); additional production (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13), additional engineering (13) Jonathan Low – co-production (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13); engineering, mixing (1, 2, 4–6, 8–13) Butterfly Boucher – additional production (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13) Charley Drayton – additional production (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13) Misty Boyce – additional production (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13) Solomon Dorsey – additional production (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13) Bella Blasko – engineering (3, 7, 10, 14), mixing (3, 7, 14) Henri Bardot – engineering (12) JT Bates – additional engineering (14) Stuart Bogie – additional engineering (14) Alexander McKeon – engineering assistance (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 13) Beth Scott – engineering assistance (1, 2) John Miller – engineering assistance (1, 2) Gillian Pelkonen – engineering assistance (3, 7, 10, 14) John Valesio – engineering assistance (4–6, 8, 11, 13) Lauren Marquez – engineering assistance (4–6, 8) Michael Deano – engineering assistance (4–6, 8) Baxter Ellard – engineering assistance (8) Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering (1–11, 13, 14) Steve Fallone – mastering (12)
Charts + Chart performance for Good Grief Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 75
References