Railroad Earth have released “Let the River Flow,” the sixth and final advance single from their forthcoming album Will Of The Water, due September 18 through Ineffable Records.
Arriving August 21, the new song brings the album rollout to its final stage while Railroad Earth continue celebrating 25 years as a band.
Will Of The Water will be Railroad Earth’s first studio album since All For The Song in 2022. The 11-track record was recorded during two weeks in the summer of 2025 at Fort Nonsense, the studio built by vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Todd Sheaffer.
According to Railroad Earth, Will Of The Water is the only album in the group’s catalog to feature Mike Robinson, Dave Speranza and Matt Slocum together. The record also includes guest appearances from Greensky Bluegrass’ Paul Hoffman, Daniel Donato, Lindsay Lou and Ronnie McCoury.
Listeners have already heard much of that collaborative spirit through the album’s extended rollout.
The band opened the campaign with “Keep Your Eyes Open,” featuring Daniel Donato. “Everything Keeps Changin’” followed with Paul Hoffman, while Lindsay Lou joined Railroad Earth for “Cameras.” Ronnie McCoury appeared on “Whiskey Train,” and “Good Bones” provided another preview before “Let the River Flow” completed the run of advance singles.
Calling the New Jersey group bluegrass has never quite told the whole story. Acoustic instrumentation and traditional roots music are fundamental to their sound, but Railroad Earth have always approached that vocabulary with the freedom of a jam band. Songs can function as carefully constructed pieces on record and then expand considerably in concert.
Railroad Earth formed in 2001 and quickly found an audience around the release of The Black Bear Sessions. In the years since, they have become one of the enduring bridges between progressive bluegrass, Americana and the jam community, building a following as much through repeated live performance as through their studio catalog.
Railroad Earth used their anniversary year to record a new album, bring collaborators into the studio and continue adjusting to personnel changes without freezing the band around one particular era.
That makes “Let the River Flow” a fitting final piece of the rollout.
The new single is not being asked to introduce the album by itself. After months of releases, listeners now have a much clearer picture of the musicians, guests and songwriting that will shape the complete record. What remains is hearing those songs in their intended sequence alongside the material Railroad Earth have held back.
The anniversary celebration will continue onstage as well. The group has additional 2026 performances surrounding the album release, carrying the 25th-year celebration through the fall rather than treating September 18 as an endpoint.
“Let the River Flow” is out now.
Will Of The Water arrives September 18 through Ineffable Records.
