Bruce Springsteen Throws Fans a Country Curveball [Listen]

Rock icon Bruce Springsteen has been churning out hits for decades, but his actual catalog is even larger than we knew. The Boss has recently unveiled some never-before-heard songs, including a 1995 country album that has never seen the light of day until now.

Springsteen will officially release the album, “Somewhere North of Nashville,” on June 27th, but its first single, “Repo Man,” is already available for fans to enjoy. The twangy, high-energy song has everything many fans love about 90s country music, and Springsteen’s style is as perfect for this genre as it is for rock.

Springsteen Recorded “Somewhere North of Nashville” at the Same Time as Another Album

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“Somewhere North of Nashville” is new for fans, but Springsteen has had it in his back pocket for 30 years. In a statement The Tennessean shared, the singer explained that he recorded the country album while working on another project. “What happened was I wrote all these country songs at the same time I wrote ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad,'” Springsteen said, referring to his eleventh official studio album. He went on to explain that there was a lot of overlap in the recording sessions, sometimes leading to him working on tracks from both albums in the same day.

By why a country record? The Boss shared that, although “The Ghost of Tom Joad” largely focused on “socially conscious” topics, there were other musical influences at play in his life during that time. “But at the same time I had this country streak that was also running through those sessions,” he said. “And I ended up making a country record on the side.”

There’s Plenty More Where That Came From

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A Springsteen country record was not on our bingo cards this year, but it’s not the only surprising new music the singer has in store for fans. “Somewhere North of Nashville” isn’t just a one-off release; it’s part of something much larger. “Tracks II: The Lost Albums” is set to be a massive collection of unreleased Springsteen songs, covering a whopping seven previously unheard albums from throughout his career.

In addition to the country album, this collection will include tracks from the singer’s “Streets of Philadelphia” sessions. It will also feature songs from the 1983 L.A. garage sessions, which are sure to be a treat for diehard fans.