The new album from Allen-Forrester Band, Red Dirt Town, offers a fresh take on an old sound. The band’s foundation has always been built on the music that inspired them from the beginning—artists such as the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Crowes, and Blackberry Smoke. While those Southern Rock, Blues, and Americana roots remain firmly intact, the band continues to look for ways to broaden their sound. On Red Dirt Town, that meant exploring more modern Nashville influences in their songwriting while staying true to the music that shaped them.

As fans of artists such as Chris Stapleton, they wanted to blend the sounds and themes of contemporary Americana and Country Rock with their own unique style—one built on retro, vintage warmth delivered with a modern approach. Rather than abandoning their roots, the goal was to build upon them, creating a record that feels both familiar and fresh. This philosophy also guided the overall sonic character of the finished album.

Rather than being a direct extension of their debut album, Red Dirt Town represents a new chapter for the band, building on the success of their first release. The lyrics and much of the music were written by Ben and Josh during late-night Zoom sessions, resulting in a collection of songs that draw heavily from personal experiences and reflections.

Another exciting development for the band was collaborating with an outside songwriter. Ben met Cedric Cherney through Matthias Böhm at a New Year’s Eve party in 2025. Cedric, a military serviceman stationed near Nürnberg and an accomplished songwriter, exchanged contact information with Ben and the two soon met to see if their styles were compatible. Cedric presented two songs that ultimately made their way onto the album, beginning a creative partnership that is expected to continue in the future.

After the core band finished tracking, returning special guest Simon Oslender contributed keyboard parts across the entire album. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s most sought-after keyboard players, Oslender has performed and recorded with acclaimed drummer Wolfgang Haffner and leads his own projects featuring legendary musicians Steve Gadd and Will Lee. Having previously appeared on the band’s debut album, Simon once again brought his signature blend of Hammond organ, piano, and vintage keyboard sounds to Red Dirt Town. His playing can be heard throughout the record, adding everything from soulful organ swells and honky-tonk piano to tasteful melodic textures that help shape the album’s overall character.

The album also features a special guest appearance by fiddle player Gustavo Strauß on “White Picket Fences.” Known for his work with the successful folk-rock group d’Artagnan, Gustavo is recognized as one of Germany’s most versatile and expressive string players. His contribution introduced a completely new sonic element to Allen-Forrester Band’s sound, weaving cinematic fiddle lines throughout the song and helping create one of the album’s most distinctive musical moments.

At the same time, Ben’s sister-in-law and graphic artist, Nicole Forrester, transformed the band’s concept for the record into the final artwork. As the songs were being written, it became apparent that many were drawn from personal experiences, leading to the idea that the album felt like a collection of “letters home.”

Throughout every stage of the project, Allen-Forrester Band maintained the same do-it-yourself spirit that has always defined the group. While the band isn’t afraid to seek outside expertise when it benefits the music, they prefer to keep the creative process close to home by working with trusted friends and family whenever possible. From recording and mixing to artwork and production decisions, Red Dirt Town is very much the product of a close-knit team of musicians, collaborators, and loved ones who share the band’s vision.

The artwork centers around a vintage U.S. Airmail envelope that has been kept as a cherished keepsake, with the songs representing the letters contained inside. The handwriting featured throughout the artwork was created by bassist Hendrik Herder. The stamps feature the band’s dragonfly logo from their debut album, while another design element pays tribute to the classic “In Stereo” stamps that appeared on records during the transition from mono to stereo recordings.

Finally, the artwork includes a note that reads:

“Disclaimer: This Record Was Made by Humans and 2” Analog Tape. AI Was Not Used in the Making of This Record.”

The statement reflects the band’s commitment to creating music themselves and utilizing as much analog equipment as possible during a time when many artists are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence. For Allen-Forrester Band, preserving the human element of creativity remains an essential part of the artistic process.

How The Record Was Made

The recording process for Red Dirt Town reflected the band’s hands-on approach to making music. The band’s DIY mentality all started with Ben and his wife founding their company, EBF Music, in 2019. Once songs were completed, Ben would create demos and bring them to Matthias Böhm and Hendrik Herder, who would then finalize their parts. Ben would then record the drum parts with Matthias Böhm at his studio in Neunhof, before taking the tracks back to his own studio, where the band began layering additional parts. Since then, they’ve solidified their “all in the family” approach.

Once a handful of songs were completed, Josh recorded his guitar and vocal tracks on days off while the band was touring, working from Ben’s studio. This process was completed in two blocks: five songs during the summer of 2025 and the remaining five songs in January 2026.

Once recording was complete, an opportunity arose through the band’s mastering engineer, Christoph Beyerlein, who was working from his new mix room, Streetlife Studio in Nürnberg. The band was able to transfer every multitrack recording from digital to 2-inch analog tape and back to digital before mixing. The process proved to be a complete game changer, allowing the music to be colored by tape in the same way records were made before the digital era.

Drawing upon his extensive knowledge of 24-track tape machines, Christoph, assisted by Ben, spent an entire day organizing and transferring the album in multiple 24-track passes while maintaining synchronization across all songs. Following the transfer process, Ben mixed the album during the first half of May at his studio in Nürnberg. Once mixing was complete, the stereo mixes were returned to Christoph for mastering—naturally, in an analog fashion.

Red Dirt Town will be released on CD, vinyl, and all major streaming platforms. Three singles will be released ahead of the full album launch in October.

Tracklist

1. Skin Deep

2. Misery likes Company

3. White Picket Fences

4. Sweet Marie

5. Fifty

6. Here’s To The Good Times

7. Under Her Spell

8. Red Dirt Town

9. Little Breathin’ Reason

10. From the Ashes

Band

• Josh Allen (Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Background Vocals)

• Ben Forrester (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Resonator Guitar, Lead Vocal, Background Vocals, Claps)

• Hendrik Herder (Bass, Background Vocals)

• Matthias Böhm (Drums and Percussion, Background Vocals)

Guest Musician

• Simon Oslender (Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, Clavinet, and Piano) all songs

• Gustavo Strauß (Fiddle) track 3 only

Album Highlights

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

More Information

• Produced & Mixed by Ben Forrester

• Recorded at FBK Studio in Nuremberg, Germany (except Drums)

• Drums & Percussion recorded at Sound Garden Studio in Neunhof, Germany

• Mastering & Tape Transfer by Christoph Beyerlein at Streetlife Studio in Nuremberg,

  Germany

• Album Artwork by Nicole Forrester at Nicole Visconti Designs

• Photography by Emanuel Schwarz

• Release Date: October 2, 2026 ( CD | Vinyl | Streaming)

• All Songs composed by Allen-Forrester Band (except Fifty and Red Dirt Town, Lyrics by Cedric Cherney)

• Label: EBF Music Records

• Distributor: Time Zone Records

• PR Contact: Birgit Bräckte | Brooke Lynn Promotions

• Booking & Management: Eva Forrester | EBF Music