For a long time, it looked like Alabama Shakes wouldn’t be coming back from their hiatus. With years creeping on since 2015’s ‘Sound & Color’, it seemed cruelly scripted just how many obstacles the band faced in releasing their third album. From child-abuse charges (later dismissed) that led to the original drummer, Steve Johnson, being asked to leave, to a global pandemic, to frontwoman Brittany Howard’s solo career taking off, it felt like there was a conspiracy to keep the band from releasing more music.
Yet, in August 2025, the newly minted trio released ‘Another Life’ - the first taster of an album they wouldn’t release until almost exactly a year later. The title ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ has been described by Howard as having a deliberate double meaning: “It could be saying, I must be dreaming, because the world is so fucking crazy now. But it could also mean I must be dreaming because the world is so incredibly beautiful.”
Across the record, the most striking element is their newfound restraint: gone are the sludgy southern riffs and Howard’s singular belt in favour of predominantly spacey blues that feel like Mavis Staples via Spiritualized with a nod to ‘70s funk. The wonky boom-bap of ‘Tea Time’ sets this tone instantly, never giving Howard her typical moment of vocal explosion in favour of an airy falsetto, floating through lyrics of “I’m building / A kingdom in my soul”. The desperation continues on the lovelorn ‘Another Life’ - an atmospheric yet muted blues track, complete with layered wall-of-sound production that allows Howard her first moment to shine vocally, even if it doesn’t commit to the ferocity fans know she can deliver.
‘Garden’ is firmly in the camp of ‘The world is so incredibly beautiful’ in the project’s meaning. It is a tender soul swayer, with staccato piano to accompany generally clichéd lyrics, using the cultivation of a garden as a metaphor for love. ‘Waist Deep’ finds beauty in life’s struggles, with an ascending piano line anchoring the track and mirroring the tension of frustrated lyrics: “I got something / worth taking out on somebody”.
On the slow tracks, the star is firmly the band; everyone is serving the song, casting aside egos even if this lack of individual spark can sometimes hinder moments that need the bite the group have historically delivered. While the gentle optimism of the spacious ‘I Feel Hope Coming’ earns its small scale, as if Howard is reminding herself there’s still hope in the youth for politics, the muddied, exhausted vocal performance on ‘Friends’ comes across as tinny and prosaic, rather than the sombre description of a soured relationship it aims for.
A centrepiece on the album, ‘Time’ opens with a heavily processed shuddering, panning from headphone to headphone. Eventually, it settles into space-rock via Thee Sacred Souls for a cosmic love song that seems to battle the running of time, with the chorus bleeding straight back into the verses for “but when you have someone you love / all you want is / Time I’m gonna give it to you”. The outro feels like the first time the band escape their rhythmic grids, descending into something freeform, only anchored by plucks that mimic a cuckoo clock.
It seems as if Alabama Shakes are at their best when they let themselves loose - it’s also a huge element of what makes ‘American Dream’ so frustrating. From the opening grumble of its rolling bassline, it chugs along and refuses any catharsis to its listener. While it aims for The Staple Singers' style of protest-soul, specifically with its layered backing vocals, the ironic usage of the ‘American Dream’ motif between various sloganeering lyrics feels painfully outdated, an idea explored far better in the 80s by Bruce Springsteen. It ultimately becomes painfully obtuse and a slight slog to endure, never truly bursting into life but flirting with it enough to feel unfinished rather than resigned.
Despite some of the strongest moments in their discography appearing here, Alabama Shakes’ return is frustratingly inconsistent. While their craft is undeniably excellent, the spark of individual brilliance that makes songs truly great feels missing. There is a ton of promise, but the ideas end up feeling too restrained, as if everyone in the studio was too afraid to be seen as egotistical to truly bring any song to the next level. The sonic experimentation is valiant, and at its strongest, it bodes well for future projects - it’s a shame ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ feels more transitional than fully realised.
Keir Shields
Image: ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ Album Cover
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