Neil Young has reached a significant milestone in his long career with the release of his 50th studio album, Second Song, on September 18, 2026, via Reprise according to Far Out Magazine. The release marks his second new album of 2026, following the double live set As Time Explodes issued approximately three months prior, as reported by AOL. The album was recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studios in Malibu, California, produced by Lou Adler, and features Young’s recently convened backing band, The Chrome Hearts, according to MusicRadar.
Neil Young Reaches 50th Studio Album Milestone With The Chrome Hearts
The four members of The Chrome Hearts consist of guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony LoGerfo, and keyboardist Spooner Oldham. According to MusicRadar, Oldham is a veteran session musician who previously played in the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section during the 1960s on soul hits such as Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves a Woman
and Aretha Franklin’s I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You).
Unconventional Recording Methods and Songwriting Process
In an interview with MOJO magazine cited by MusicRadar, Young detailed his unorthodox approach to capturing new material. To preserve an idea, he sits down and plays whatever he can, recording mistakes and all while he is still finding the song. Young prefers his backing band to remain unrehearsed and unfamiliar with new tracks before recording begins, stating, You don’t want to think about it. You don’t want to have it practiced. The whole idea is to not know what you’re doing.
Producer Lou Adler noted that he heard very little of the material beforehand, adding that everything happened organically once they started at Shangri-La studios.
Young and his band cut four tracks during their first day in the studio. While Young maintains a basic rule allowing only three takes of a song before it is considered finished, a track titled “Earth Girl” required seven takes to satisfy him. Dedicated to his wife, actor Daryl Hannah, the song features two overlapping melodies—one fast and wordy, the other gentle. The album’s opening track, The Foggy Edge of Time,
includes audible overdubs such as a backwards guitar solo.
Revisiting Teenage Compositions From The Squires
Second Song incorporates two tracks originally written and performed by Young during the early 1960s with his Winnipeg band, The Squires, according to Noise11. One of these, I’ll Love You Forever,
was initially recorded on November 23, 1964, at radio station CJLX in Fort William, Ontario, with Ken Koblun on bass and Bill Edmondson on drums. That original 1964 recording remained unreleased for decades until it was issued in 2009 on Neil Young Archives Vol. 1: 1963-1972.
While the 1964 recording relied on a sparse arrangement of guitar, bass, and drums, the new Chrome Hearts version expands the instrumentation with electric guitar, additional vocals, and Spooner Oldham’s Hammond B3 organ. The album also features Casting Me Away From You,
another composition dating back to 1964.
Thematic Depth and Critical Reception
Critics have highlighted the reflective and twilight atmosphere of Second Song as it takes stock of octogenarian life, domestic affection, and the future. The 11-minute title track serves as the spiritual centrepiece of the album, praised by reviewers for its meditative structure and lack of derivative melodies.
