

July 17th, 2015, was the release date of Jason Isbell’s fifth studio album, Something More Than Free. To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of this popular album, Isbell has issued a rerelease of the album, featuring all new remasters of the 11 track album. However, fans were also treated to an all new song on this re-issue, the previously unreleased track “Should I Go Missing.”
As its title suggests, the track features Isbell pondering disappearing from his life, burning all his bridges and connections without a trace. The track’s more guitar-focused instrumentals create an upbeat atmosphere that doesn’t sound too unlike other songs in its medium which may distract from the weight of the more melancholic and nihilistic lyrics of the track. The lyrics portray somebody with an extremely low view of oneself, thinking they won’t be heard or remembered. He gives off instructions for what to do after he’s gone, between reassuring his mother, telling his lover that he was merely a dream, and to erase every trace of himself. They’re remarkably dark lyrics contrasted with the instrumentals, and speak to a feeling that, while drastic, is not entirely unheard of or unprecedented.
The other tracks from the reissue of Something More Than Free have been remixed by Sylvia Massy, known for her work with artists like Prince, Johnny Cash and Tom Petty. The rerelease is available digitally now, but physical releases won’t be coming until October 3rd. Isbell himself has still kept going strong in the ten years since Something More Than Free, with the successful release of Foxes in The Snow earlier this year.
