Foxes in the Snow

Released in the wake of his divorce from singer-songwriter Amanda Shires, 2025’s <i>Foxes in the Snow</i> is Jason Isbell’s first solo acoustic album, and his first album without The 400 Unit since his 2013 breakthrough <i>Southeastern</i>. But don’t let the context colour things too much: Isbell’s best writing has a scythelike quality whether backed by a band or not, and relationships born, broken, salvaged and mourned have been subject matter for him from the get. The lovelorn will no doubt revel in the agony and catharsis of “Eileen”, “Gravelweed” and “True Believer” (“All your girlfriends say I broke your fucking heart, and I don’t like it”), but allow us to direct you instead to the folksy, John Prine-like wisdom of “Don’t Be Tough”: “Don’t be shitty to the waiter/He’s had a harder day than you,” and, later, “Don’t say ‘love’ unless you mean it/But don’t say ‘sorry’ ’less you’re wrong.” Anyone can cradle their ego, but it takes a gentleman to know when to put it to bed.