So Much for Goodbyes is the fifth studio album by American bluegrass musician Billy Strings. It was released digitally, as a CD, and as a two-disc LP on August 28, 2026.
Critical reception
Any Decent Music gave the album a weighted average score of 8.2 out of 10 from seven critic scores. According to Metacritic, it received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 90 out of 100 from seven critic scores.
Alexis Petridis wrote in The Guardian, "His guitar picking is every bit as astonishingly dextrous as his tie-dyed devotees claim; his equally impressive backing quartet are particularly talented at working up a ferociously propulsive head of steam, given that their ranks don't include a drummer.... What does cut through the gloom is the lingering thought of how rich and powerful the album you've just heard is."
On AllMusic Timothy Monger said, "Over the past decade, the Michigan-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist has been a transformative force in bluegrass, gradually ascending from local phenomenon to become the genre's modern-day ambassador as well as one of its most reliable innovators... Matching the prodigious musical ability that has been apparent all along is one of his best collections of songs to date."
Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Amen observed, "While Goodbyes may capture Strings as he matures into a conventional stance, it’s still chock-full of sensual textures, moody treatments, and sophisticated thematics – not to mention virtuosic instrumentation". He concluded, "The album affirms Strings as an old-school devotee, even as it equips him to further translate bluegrass for a younger and more eclectically minded audience".
Track listing "I'm One of Those" – 4:23 "Burn the Other End" – 4:39 "Carry Us Home" – 4:14 "Lay Me Down" – 4:02 "Lucid Daydream" – 6:38 "Mill Town Flood" – 5:06 "Live to Tell" – 6:29 "Bluewater Breakdown" – 3:36 "Light the Way" – 2:47 "I Like Train Songs" – 4:48 "10,000 Miles from a Friend" – 5:10 "Still I Crash" – 5:03 "I Wish I Wanted To" – 6:45 "Remember to Cry" – 3:50 "Wrestling an Angel" – 3:47 "Debra’s Waltz" – 4:12
Personnel Musicians Billy Strings – guitar, vocals Billy Failing – banjo, vocals Royal Masat – bass, vocals Jarrod Walker – mandolin, vocals Alex Hargreaves – fiddle
Additional musicians Mickey Raphael – bass harmonica Paul Franklin – pedal steel Alison Krauss – backing vocals Bryan Sutton – guitar Alwyn Robinson – drums Del McCoury – backing vocals Tim O’Brien – backing vocals Chris Henry – backing vocals Lindsay Lou – backing vocals Dan Tyminski – backing vocals
Production Produced by Billy Strings and T Bone Burnett Engineering: Brandon Bell Editing: Michael Piersante, Eddie Roberts, Brandon Bell Mixing: Michael Piersante Mastering: Gavin Lurssen Vinyl mastering: Jeff Powell Executive producer: Bill Orner Artwork: Debra Apostol Photography and graphic design: Dana Trippe
Charts + Chart performance for So Much for Goodbyes Chart (2026) Peakposition Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) 36 UK Albums Sales (Official Charts) 72
References