The first taste of Deep Blue.
Ernest is gearing up to release his next album, which he revealed the title of on Net Positive with John Crist a couple weeks ago, and he also talked a lot about the inspiration behind it and how it all came to be.
He said that much of it came from his time in St. Thomas, where the beachy, laid back island vibe very much came into play. He likened it to another one of his albums Locals Only in terms of the sound, and while he’s certainly been leaning into the more traditional country sound on his Flower Shops and Nashville, Tennessee albums, this one will be a bit different.
Ernest also noted that he cut it down to 13 songs, even though he could’ve made it 30, because he wanted it to feel refined and cohesive, which I am absolutely here for:
“I’m excited. I mean, this album is different for me. Take it back to Flower Shops’ and then to ‘Nashville, Tennessee,’ I definitely have stuck to the traditional country music sound, which I love and believe in for my own artistry, which kind of runs juxta to the stuff I write for other people…
But this one is more of a concept album than the others. I recorded more song than would up on the project, because I just wanted it to be chiseled down into a digestible package.
I think, in a world where there are so many songs on albums, because we write so many songs, I could have easily had a 30-song album, but it’s like these 13, these are my horses. Let’s roll.”
Of course, there will be variety, and he explained that not every song will be about the beach, and they’ll cover a wide spectrum from “happy songs, sad songs, let’s get together songs and have a good time songs.”
He hasn’t made the official announcement yet in terms of a release date or anything, but I would imagine it’s due out around the spring so that fans can have this very summery, beach music in time for the warm weather.
During a recent conversation with Bobby Bones, he described the sound as a blend of “Alabama and Jimmy Buffett,” and I think that’s the perfect way to sum it up:
“There’s a little island inspiration in this next album for sure. And just like a little southern, too. It’s like Alabama and Jimmy Buffett had a baby.”
The first song from the album, “Lorelei,” will be out this Friday, January 30th, and you can listen to the teaser below. It’s beautiful, and the beach scene behind him almost hurts to watch as I continue to freeze from this insane ice storm…
@ernestLorelei. This Friday 🌊🌊♬ original sound – Ernest
Ernest already has tons of tour dates on the books for his 2026 Live From The South tour, which is definitely on my list because I still haven’t seen him headline yet, and he has a full live band which is incredible so make sure you check him out if he’ll be anywhere near you on this run:
ERNEST’s Live From The South Tour Dates
1/22 – Jackson, Wyoming – Million Dollar Cowboy Bar*
1/23 – Salt Lake City, Utah – The Complex*
1/24 – Reno, Nev. – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino*
1/29 – Solana Beach, Calif. – Belly Up*
1/30 – Anaheim, Calif. – House of Blues*
1/31 – Sacramento, Calif. – Ace of Spades*
2/7 – Indio, Calif. – Fantasy Springs Casino
2/19 – Athens, Ga. – Georgia Theatre >
2/20 – Charlotte, N.C. – Coyote Joe’s >
2/26 – Jacksonville, Fla. – FIVE >
2/27 – Charleston, S.C. – Charleston Music Hall >
2/28 – Norfolk, Va. – NorVa >
3/5 – Indianapolis, Ind. – Old National Centre
3/6 – Rosemont, Ill. – Joe’s Live >
3/7 – Columbus, Ohio – The Bluestone >
3/11 – Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Intersection #
3/13 – Detroit, Mich. – Filmore #
3/14 – McKees Rocks, Pa. – Roxian Theatre #
3/19 – Durant, Okla. – Choctaw Casino
3/26 – Boston, Mass. – House of Blues*
3/27 – New York, N.Y.– Irving Plaza*
3/28 – Bensalem, Pa. – Parx Casino*
4/2 – Houston, Texas – White Oak Music Hall*
4/3 – New Braunfels, Texas – Gruene Hall*
4/4 – Ft. Worth, Texas – Billy Bob’s*
4/16 – St. Louis, Mo. – Hawthorn #
4/18 – Minneapolis, Minn. – First Avenue #
4/23 – Knoxville, Tn – The Mill & Mine #
4/25 – Asheville, N.C. – The Orange Peel #
4/26 – Chattanooga, Tn – The Signal #
* Support By Chandler Walters
> Support By Cody Lohden
# Support By Rhys Rutherford