Willie Nelson is still going strong, and still releasing music at a pace that’s hard to believe. Since his 1962 debut, ...And Then I Wrote, he’s put out new material almost every year, and that streak continues with the announcement of his next project.

Along with the album announcement, Nelson has shared the title track, “Dream Chaser”. The song focuses on someone struggling with self-acceptance, reflecting on the disconnect between who they are and who they see in the mirror. Listen below:

His upcoming album, Dream Chaser, will be his 156th studio release and is set to arrive May 29 through Legacy Records. One of the standout details is a co-write with Bob Dylan, a longtime friend and collaborator. The two previously worked together on “Heartland”, which appeared on Nelson’s 1993 album Across the Borderline.

In a 2025 New Yorker profile, Dylan said this about Nelson:

“It’s hard to talk about Willie without saying something stupid or irrelevant, he is so much of everything. How can you make sense of him? How would you define the indefinable or the unfathomable? What is there to say? Ancient Viking Soul? Master Builder of the Impossible? Patron poet of people who never quite fit in and don’t much care to? Moonshine Philosopher? Tumbleweed singer with a PhD? Red Bandana troubadour, braids like twin ropes lassoing eternity? What do you say about a guy who plays an old, battered guitar that he treats like it’s the last loyal dog in the universe? Cowboy apparition, writes songs with holes that you can crawl through to escape from something. Voice like a warm porchlight left on for wanderers who kissed goodbye too soon or stayed too long. I guess you can say all that. But it really doesn’t tell you a lot or explain anything about Willie. Personally speaking I’ve always known him to be kind, generous, tolerant and understanding of human feebleness, a benefactor, a father and a friend. He’s like the invisible air. He’s high and low. He’s in harmony with nature. And that’s what makes him Willie.”

Even this far into his career, Nelson shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to release new music and revisit themes that have defined much of his work.

Dream Chaser is out May 29. Pre-order here. Tracklist below:

Dream Chaser:
1. Dream Chaser
2. Fly Away
3. We’d Make A Good Movie
4. I Can’t Read Your Mind
5. Whiskey Wants Me To
6. Wonder What I’m Gonna Do
7. After All
8. Love Overdue
9. I Don’t Think I’ve Cried Today
10. Developing My Pictures

Tour dates:

04/22 Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company
04/23 Atlanta, GA @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
04/25 Asheville, NC @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater
04/27 Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre
04/28 Wilmington, NC @ Live Oak Bank Pavilion
05/02 New Braunfels, TX @ Whitewater Amphitheater

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