Second Song is the fiftieth studio album by Neil Young, released on September 18, 2026, by Reprise Records. Recorded at Shangri La in Malibu and produced by Lou Adler, it is his second album recorded with his band the Chrome Hearts. It follows Young's previous album Talkin' to the Trees, also produced by Adler and recorded at Shangri La. The first single, the title track, released on August 7, runs for nearly 11 and a half minutes long.
Background and release
Second Song contains "Casting Me Away from You" and "I'll Love You Forever", both written sometime in the 1960s that went unreleased until Second Song. According to a press release, Second Song is primarily an acoustic album. According to Andy Greene of Rolling Stone, the title track is about "the passage of time and the need for human connection." Neil Young said of the album: "I'm in the studio recording a new album with the Chrome Hearts. I love the songs and the feelings of life and love. Music is. So far we have eight new songs. They make me feel". The album was released on September 18, 2026, on Reprise Records.
Critical reception
Any Decent Music gave the album a weighted average score of 7.6 out of 10 from nine critic scores. According to Metacritic, it received "generally favorable" reviews based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from eight critic scores.
