After a six-year wait, Snow Patrol is back with The Forest Is the Path, their first studio album since 2018’s Wildness.
Released today (Sept. 13), the 12-track project marks a new chapter for the Northern Irish band, showcasing their signature mix of introspective lyrics and sweeping melodies.
Produced by Fraser T Smith (Adele, Stormzy) and the band, The Forest Is the Path was written by Snow Patrol’s core trio: frontman Gary Lightbody, guitarist Johnny McDaid, and guitarist Nathan Connolly. The album’s lead single, “The Beginning,” offers a taste of the band’s evolution, with its melodic thrum and poignant lyrics: “There is only you and me in this life / And I don’t want to f— it up now.”
In a previous statement, Lightbody shared how the album reflects on love and memory, saying, “The album is rooted in reflection, introspection, and interrogation, with a key building block being the idea of looking at love from the distance of time passed.”
The Forest Is the Path also celebrates Snow Patrol’s 30-year career. “This album took us on many uncharted routes,” the band wrote on Instagram upon announcing the album.
“We honor the past, deeply… but while we honor the past, we also want to cherish the present and look to the future.”
The band will support the LP with a tour in 2025, which includes dates in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S.
Snow Patrol has made a lasting impact on the Billboard 200, with two albums landing in the top 10. Fallen Empires (2012) peaked at No. 5, while A Hundred Million Suns (2008) reached No. 9. Their 2006 album Eyes Open spent 66 weeks on the chart, driven by the global smash hit “Chasing Cars,” which became the most-played song of the 21st century on British radio, according to licensing body PPL. The track reached No. 6 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, powered by a sync in Grey’s Anatomy.
Stream Snow Patrol’s The Forest Is the Path below.
