ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Foxes in the Snow’ Jason Isbell returns to ‘Southeastern’ Simplicity

For an artist to get in the studio and record an entire set in just a few days on a single acoustic guitar, one might assume the music is calling with some urgency. But for Jason Isbell’s latest solo outing Foxes in the Snow, there’s a slow and steady focus across its spare 11 tracks. It’s no salacious breakup album (though some might have been anticipating it following his 2024 divorce from longtime partner Amanda Shires), but it’s got heartbreak seeping from every pore. Still, somehow, it listens like a respite, a return to something starkly simple, reminiscent of Isbell’s foundational, 2013 breakthrough Southeastern. For Isbell, it’s always been about the songs, but without his backing band the 400 Unit, the emphasis here is very much on pristine songcraft and excellent picking.

Recorded as leanly as possible at New York City’s iconic Electric Lady Studios, Foxes in the Snow is all clean production and no frills. The warmth of Isbell’s guitar and the heft of his rasp are all the tools he needs to deliver devastatingly sad stunners like “True Believer” and “Good While it Lasted.” These are hearty, adult breakup songs. Any bit of spite feels truly earned and the lessons are the kind you can only really learn when you’ve gotten some life experience under your belt.

There’s also bitterness baked in, but it isn’t all-consuming. There’s room for maturity, maybe even friendship and peaceful coexistence. A particularly piercing moment comes with “Gravelweed,” an accountability ode Isbell belts from deep in the gut. “I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today,” he sings between nods to the challenges of sobriety during a breakup and the pain of outgrowing someone. “Wind Behind the Rain” closes the album with a quiet force, more nostalgic than regretful as it looks to an uncertain future where the one you once loved never really leaves you.

Sweet glimmers of hope find their way through the cracks on Foxes in the Snow, most notably with “Don’t Be Tough,” a meticulous and hard-won collection of reminders to maintain the balance between gentleness and discipline. Lighter fare like being kind to waiters and napping when you’re tired intermingle with the tougher stuff. “Don’t forget the shit you went through,” he sings, “Let love knock you on your ass.”

Jason Isbell’s ‘Foxes in the Snow’ is out March 7 via Southeastern Records.