Neil Young Already Has Eight Songs for His Next Album: ‘They Make Me Feel’

Neil Young might have recently cancelled a planned European tour, but the legendary songwriter hasn’t been slowing down creatively.

In a new post on his Neil Young Archives website, the rock icon revealed he’s already deep into recording his next album with his current backing band, the Chrome Hearts.

According to Young, the project is already well underway. “Now, thankfully once again, I’m in the studio recording a new album with the Chrome Hearts,” he wrote. “I love the songs and the feelings of life and love. Music is. So far we have eight new songs. They make me feel.”

Young also used the post to reflect on the current political climate in the US, saying the state of the country had been weighing heavily on him. “I am so hurt for this country,” he wrote, adding that politics had become “so sad and depressing” for him.

Per Rolling Stone, the new project will follow 2025’s Talkin’ to the Trees, which also featured the Chrome Hearts and marked the first studio album from the collaboration. “Talkin’ to the Trees is Neil taking stock as he heads out into his eighties, with a defiantly messy statement of purpose for anyone who wants to trap him in the past,” Rolling Stone wrote in a three-star review. “He’s not aiming for a major work here – just taking his new group out for a spin in the studio and seeing where they can go, which could be end up being anywhere. Long may they – and he – run.”

Young and the band spent much of last year touring North America together, although the setlists leaned heavily on classic material from across his decades-spanning catalogue. Songs like “Old Man”, “Cowgirl in the Sand”, and “Ambulance Blues” were staples of the shows, alongside deeper cuts and the politically charged track “Big Crime,” which Young wrote while on the road.

Earlier this year, Young surprised fans by cancelling a planned European run with the Chrome Hearts. The tour had been scheduled to kick off in England on June 19th, wrapping in Italy on July 16th, but the musician told fans he had decided to step back for now.

“I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time,” Young wrote when announcing the decision. “Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to let you down, but this is not the time. I do love playing LIVE and being with you and the Chrome Hearts. LOVE Neil be well.”

In a subsequent response to a fan letter, he gave slightly more context for the decision. “I listen to my body,” he wrote. “That is why I cancelled.”