One year shy of their 20th anniversary and The Wood Brothers keep getting better. On August 1, the Grammy Award-nominated trio — comprised by brothers Oliver and Chris Wood and Jano Rix — release their ninth studio album, Puff Of Smoke, an audacious 11-song musical meditation on the state of the human condition. 

Today, the band shares Puff Of Smoke‘s second single and its official lyric video, “Pray God Listens” (listen/watch/share), a tongue-in-cheek observation on the concept of “God” — he… she… me… or you… — that’s built upon a buoyant Cachito/Cuban-inspired groove.
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​Oliver Wood explains: “‘Pray God Listens,’ is a bit humorous and cynical, but ultimately it’s a song of compassion and humility. It’s meant to be light, but it’s ambiguous enough that you can draw your own conclusion. You can take the cynicism part and the humor, or you can go a little deeper and find the compassion.”​
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In the months leading up to Puff Of Smoke’s release, The Wood Brothers, ever the fearless road warriors, are on tour, criss-crossing the country. This week they conclude a May run with what are expected to be sold out shows at Harvester Performance Center (Rocky Mount, VA) and The Stone Pony (Asbury Park, NJ), as well as a set at DelFest(Cumberland, MD). 

​In June and July, they co-headline 15 shows with St. Paul & The Broken Bones, including stops in Colorado, Northern California, the Northwest and the Midwest. All of this alongside additional festival and headline dates throughout the summer months. ​

Listening, in its truest sense, is a dying art, but it’s one The Wood Brothers are committed to practicing and upholding as a virtue. In fact, it’s the secret to the mélange of joyful sounds and musical styles on Puff of Smoke, the American roots trio’s ninth album of original music. Indeed, through the near two decades spent together in the studio and on the road, the Grammy Award-nominated trio have honed their interconnected, singular voice to telepathic proportions. On this latest studio effort, a true collaborative effort between its three members, the songs weave a medley of musical ideas — ranging from Latin-inflected acoustic guitar lines, to driving post-jazz rhythms, to infectious sing along choruses — resulting in a cohesive, joyful whole. All with The Wood Brothers’ trademark turns of phrase and lighthearted, but subversively profound wisdom at the core. Puff of Smoke is a reminder that life is both precious and precarious, and The Wood Brothers invite you to enjoy the ride.