A song that nearly remained unfinished has become a defining release for Ponder the Albatross.
The Americana and folk-rooted band will release “Over Hill and Hollow” on September 18. The deeply personal track also previews the band’s forthcoming album, Over Hill & Hollow, arriving October 2.
Frontman Josh Bower began developing pieces of the song while traveling, including during a drive along a dusty road near Moab, Utah. The idea continued to evolve through different chapters of his life, eventually following him back to Arkansas and the landscape of hills and hollows that helped give the track its name.
Bower also found inspiration in an unexpected place. A bandmate had given him a copy of High Performance Habits, and the book’s cover led him to think about the habits people continually feed. That idea became part of a larger reflection on vice, temporary comfort and the emotional price people sometimes pay for their choices.
The song’s imagery moves between darkness and light while drawing subtle inspiration from the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Yet despite the years of thought behind it, “Over Hill and Hollow” had never been completely rehearsed or arranged before the band arrived at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas.
During the recording session, some of the songs originally planned for the project were not connecting as expected. While standing in the booth and tuning his guitar, Bower realized he had reached a now-or-never moment. He decided to share the unfinished track with producer Ted Hutt and engineer Ryan Mall.
Hutt immediately heard something worth pursuing.
“Let’s give this some time,” Hutt told the band. “I do like what we have been doing with this other tune, but I do think I might like this one a little better—it kind of reminds me of The Devil Makes Three.”
The comparison was especially meaningful to Bower, who has long considered The Devil Makes Three an important influence. With Hutt’s encouragement, Ponder the Albatross began constructing the song inside the studio for the first time.
Without a rehearsed arrangement to rely upon, the musicians responded instinctively. The emotional weight of the session became apparent as the song developed, with bassist Eric visibly moved by what the band was creating.
The studio experience then took another unexpected turn. Hutt heard a banjo part in the emerging arrangement and invited Cooper McBean of The Devil Makes Three to contribute to the recording.
For Bower, the collaboration created an almost surreal full-circle moment. Nearly a decade earlier, he had watched The Devil Makes Three perform at Belly Up Aspen with Shakey Graves opening. Now, one of the group’s members was playing on a song that had brought Bower back to his own identity and ambitions as a songwriter.
The connection extended even further: The Devil Makes Three had been the last band Hutt worked with in that particular room at Sonic Ranch.
The finished recording carries the energy of that unexpected chain of events. “Over Hill and Hollow” is reflective without feeling restrained, combining narrative songwriting with the instrumental force and emotional honesty that define Ponder the Albatross.
Rather than entering the studio as a finished product, the song found its identity through timing, trust and the band’s willingness to follow an instinct. What began as scattered ideas gathered across years and miles ultimately became the title track of the group’s new album.
“Over Hill and Hollow” follows the previously released singles “Holy Road,” “1879” and “Genocide.” The complete Over Hill & Hollow album will be released October 2, 2026.
The new single will be available across major streaming platforms beginning September 18.
For more information about Ponder the Albatross, visit www.ponderthealbatross.com.
