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.
Track listing
Personnel Credits are adapted from Tidal. Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Neil Young – vocals, production (all tracks); vibes (tracks 2–4), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 5, 7); Marxophone, Mellotron, piano (1, 3); harmonica (4, 5), electric guitar (6) Anthony LoGerfo – drums, associate production (all tracks); vocals (3, 4), percussion (4–6) Corey McCormick – upright bass (all tracks), vocals (1–4, 7), electric bass guitar (4) Micah Nelson – vocals (1–4, 7), electric guitar (1–3, 5–8), dulcimer (4) Spooner Oldham – Hammond B3 organ (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), Mellotron (1), Farfisa organ (2, 5, 6), piano (2), pump organ (3), vibes (7)
Technical
Lou Adler – production Niko Bolas – production Manny Adler – associate production John Hanlon – engineering, recording, mixing Mark Humphreys – monitor engineering Emily Paalman – engineering assistance Nick Hodges – engineering assistance Pedro Laet – engineering assistance Sofia Staedler – engineering assistance Taylor Goss – engineering assistance Jon Tan – Pro Tools Louis Remenapp – tape operation Chris Bellman – mastering Jeff Pinn – backline technician Greg Back – bass technician, guitar technician Jarrett Borba – drum technician Bob Rice – guitar technician Jeff Tweedy – guitar technician Marcus Douglas – sound technician
Charts + Chart performance for Second Song Chart (2026) Peakposition Croatian International Albums (HDU) 8 Danish Vinyl Albums (Hitlisten) 10 Finnish Physical Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 10 French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) 43 German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 7 Norwegian Physical Albums (IFPI Norge) 2 Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 9 UK Albums Sales (Official Charts) 27
References