The acclaimed quintet offers a final preview of their forthcoming LP, Barbara
With the release of their highly anticipated sixth album, Barbara, now just a week away on August 22nd, Old Dominion has dropped a final sneak peek. “Late Great Heartbreak” is the quintet’s latest single, showcasing the album’s stylistic experimentation. Having already previewed Barbara with a host of country-rock bangers and lighters-up ballads firmly in their wheelhouse, “Late Great Heartbreak” finds the winningest Vocal Group Of The Year act in country music history flexing their songwriting acumen with an easygoing soul-inflected vamp perfect for the waning days of summer.
A decade after their debut, Meat And Candy, Old Dominion enters the studio knowing what they do best, but also with a comfort built over years spent getting to know their audience. They know if they’re excited about an idea, the diehard Odies community will follow them there. That led to a loose, convivial atmosphere for the recording of Barbara. The quintet featuring vocalist/guitarist Matthew Ramsey, guitarists Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi, bassist Geoff Sprung, and drummer Whit Sellers came armed with a collection of bulletproof compositions, but followed the flow of inspiration in the studio.
That’s how the album’s genre-free-for-all detours happened. While some of the album’s tracks incorporate elements of modern R&B, “Late Great Heartbreak” looks further back to old-school soul music as filtered through immortal ‘80s radio rock hits. The song originated almost as an in-studio experiment with a simple prompt: “What if we made a Huey Lewis song?”
“The freedom we feel now comes through in the amount of fun we have during the recording process,” Ramsey says of “Late Great Heartbreak.” “It was inspiring to goof off. There wasn’t any pressure in the room. We just wanted to laugh our asses off and make a song that was catchy as hell.”
While the title might suggest one of Barbara’s more introspective tracks, “Late Great Heartbreak” is instead a playful, wry account of when the clouds finally part following a breakup. “R.I.P. to you and me, I’m finally moving on/ From the late great heartbreak/ I’m crossing off my ex and paying my respects,” Ramsey sings above buoyant piano and a strutting rhythm section. “Late Great Heartbreak” represents what happens when Old Dominion gets in the room together — no outside writers, no session players, just the five of them jamming out new songs and fresh directions.
In the past, Old Dominion might’ve held themselves back from releasing a song like “Late Great Heartbreak.” But with all the miles traveled and years spent as a true band-as-gang, the band felt the confidence to make Barbara their most eclectic album yet. “Late Great Heartbreak” follows five other advance tracks unveiled across 2025: the anthemic opener “Making Good Time,” the clever earworm “Me Most Nights,” the smoldering reflection “Water My Flowers,” and, most recently, the poignant one-two of “Man Or The Song” and “Miss You Man.”
Alongside the album, the band’s massive How Good Is That World Tour will take them to amphitheaters and arenas worldwide throughout 2025.
