[Cover photo credit to Joanna Grace Babb]

Shannon Lay has announced her new album, Past The Veil, due out on July 28th, 2026, via All The Best, her new record label. She’s also shared the lead single, “Past The Veil”.

She explains:

‘Past The Veil’ is about turning towards discomfort and moving into it in order to get out of it. Learning how to be present with our emotions requires a lot of practice. I hope this can be a reminder to continue that courageous work and live more freely because of it.

For the last decade, has used delicate and minimalist arrangements. With her new studio album, she uses a “different sonic vantage point.” Rather than being mainly comforting towards the audience, Lay offers “a bold invitation to move through our discomfort and uncertainty.” This is described as the “sound of rebirth.”

She adds:

I wanted to make something that was a little more uplifting and really encouraging. I wanted to impart a sense of togetherness by gathering members of my creative community to channel the spirit of what wanted to be made.

Beginning in 2024, Lay teamed up with Los Angeles recording engineer and producer Rob Shelton of Altamira Sound in Alhambra, and began writing songs on the spot, with various local musicians joining them to flesh out the tracks.

Over the next year, Lay allowed Shelton to help move her out of her minimalism and write a collection of songs that incorporated everything from drum machines to string arrangements and pedal steel guitar.

Lay had also parted ways with her previous record label which “inspired her to lean into trusting herself and her community.” Past the Veil is the first release from her new artist-run label, All The Best, where she’ll issue her own music as well as some of her friends’ music. 

With her new album, Lay embraces Alan Watts’ idea that “The only way to make sense of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”