Kick-start your day with the high-energy rhythms and jamming feel of ‘Highway Junkie’ from Andy Thomas. This is a song that truly feels alive, full of urgency, particularly when Thomas loosens a grooving guitar solo that rises naturally from his riffs, carrying enough power to hurtle you along the highways of his music. His lyrics are real: “Well I’ve been trying to outrun the shadow of my father // Every damn day I get a little bit farther,” and hook us into his personal narrative. As well as inspiring the themes for his songs, Thomas’s sobriety has given him stability and the motivation pursue his musical dreams: “I’m still navigating [sobriety] every day, but once I got into the thick of it, after a few months, I was able to find new things to replace ‘all that.’ I was able to refine my love for music, and why I did it. I’ve got a story. I know I have a purpose on this earth, and I need that to translate into my music – if I can beat this, I can do anything.”
‘Highway Junkie’ is the title track from Thomas’s brand new album, which is released today, 23rd January 2026. Thomas is known for fronting the high-octane The Trongone Band and providing guitar for americana act Yarn, but his solo work stands out for the fusion of southern rock, blues and americana and the honest portrayal of his troubled past and the hard-earned strength he now finds in the present. The new album was produced by fellow Virginian and friend Dave Schools, the highly acclaimed bassist for Widespread Panic, helping to create that driving, relentless sound. Thomas says: “I just got in this lane where I was writing songs every day after dinner, for two hours at least, and I just did that until I had this bucket of songs – that’s when I called Dave.” They had worked together on an EP for The Trongone Band before that unravelled during the pandemic. He continues: “[The Trongone Band] imploded, and we never did anything with [the EP]. So, I felt like [Dave and I] had this unfinished business that we needed to do, because we had such a great time doing that small project. I had to circle back and do this with Uncle Dave. I was parked in the fire lane, ready to drive my truck up to the front door [to pick up my supplies for a renovation job]. I just called him and said, ‘Let’s make a record.’ He was immediately onboard. Then, I sent him all my songs and flew up to Richmond.”
Thomas says of the song and record: “I was singing the opening lines to myself at my construction job for a couple years before I finally wrote this song. It was the first song I wrote for the record, and in general, since I had gotten clean and sober, too. I gave up on music for a while, but it wasn’t until I gave up the drinking and the drugging that I realised I was still a junkie, just for the road and playing music. Trying to outrun a long line of family curses, this song sets the tone of the whole record and really captures where I’ve been at in life lately. You have to make a change to see a change, and this one spells that out. I know I was meant to burn up the highway playing my guitar, not burn out swinging a hammer for somebody else. This is also the first song we cranked out in the studio. I felt it deserved to be the title track for many reasons.”
This is insistent country rock, delivered with style, substance and an authentic, personal need for release. The feeling of movement and motion in Andy Thomas’s music will get you moving and stay with you long after the song is over. We could all use a little of Thomas’s positive attitude: “You just need to count the wins and be grateful. And this album is a token of gratitude – this is why I’m doing everything I’m doing.” Give the album a spin and be energised.
