NEEDTOBREATHE announces Dave Cobb-produced 10th studio album 'The Long Surrender' out March 27 via MCA

MCA Press Release

Bringing a bold new sense of abandon to their soulful fusion of timeless Americana and forward-thinking alt-rock, Grammy-nominated band NEEDTOBREATHE announced their 10th studio album, “The Long Surrender,” via MCA. It’s slated for release March 27. Pre-add / pre-save the album here, and listen to the album’s title track, available now, here.

Produced by nine-times-Grammy-Award-winner Dave Cobb and recorded last year at his studio in Savannah, Georgia, “The Long Surrender” captures the band at its 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 shared. “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 pointed 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,” Rinehart said. “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.”

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-March 7.

NEEDTOBREATHE is a multi-Platinum, Grammy-nominated band known for a distinctive blend of Americana, alt-rock, and spiritual depth – earning five No. 1 albums, over 3 billion career streams, sold-out tours, and a devoted global following. The South Carolina-bred group – Rinehart, Josh Lovelace, Tyler Burkum and Randall Harris – enters a new creative chapter with “The Long Surrender,” their 10th studio album and first release for MCA.

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