If anyone were going to save this cursed year, we’d put our money on Bruce Springsteen. As if he were waiting for the time when we needed him the most, here’s the Boss, coming down Thunder Road with a new album in hand. Springsteen announced today that Letter to You, his 20th studio album and follow-up to 2019’s Western Stars, will drop on October 23. He recorded the album with the E Street Band over five days, according to a statement, and it was the first time they cut totally live studio takes without overdubs. “I love the emotional nature of Letter to You,” he said, according to Pitchfork. “It turned out to be one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.” That comes through on the title track, the lead single and first offering from the project, which you can listen to below. It’s a showstopping, full-throttle rock production from Springsteen and his band, centered around Springsteen’s poignant vocal performance. The album will also feature three rerecorded album outtakes from the ’70s: “Janey Needs a Shooter,” “If I Was the Priest,” and “Song for Orphans.” Forty-three days till October 23. We can make it.
