Returning from a four-year hiatus that saw frontman Dave Simonett embark on a solo career as Dead Man Winter, innovative bluegrass quintet Trampled by Turtles offer their eighth studio outing in 2018's
Life Is Good on the Open Road. Having ceased operations after touring for 2015's
Wild Animals, the Duluth-based band agreed on some time apart to pursue other personal and creative endeavors. Reuniting in 2017 at banjo player Dan Carroll's family cabin in rural Minnesota, they opted for a back-to-basics approach for their next release, recording together around a single mike to analog tape. The resulting album has a lively, homespun energy with heartfelt material that ranges from raucous barnburners like "Blood in the Water" to rustic acoustic mediations like "We All Get Lonely." ~ Timothy Monger