Alabama Shakes have released their first album in 11 years, *I Must Be Dreaming*, marking the return of singer Brittany Howard, bassist Zac Cockrell and guitarist Heath Fogg after a hiatus that began in 2018. The band's last outing, 2015's *Sound & Color*, topped the Billboard 200 and won three Grammy awards, but the members went their separate ways for solo projects before an unplanned reunion brought them back together. Howard says the 11-track record is meant to reassure listeners that "they can rely on each other" amid a world she describes as having grown increasingly strange since the pandemic.

The reunion began almost by accident: in late 2024 Howard agreed to play a fundraiser for a struggling Tuscaloosa brewery and impulsively invited her old bandmates to join her, which led to rehearsals, renewed chemistry and eventually a full album. What was initially intended as an EP grew after the band emerged from their first studio session with seven songs. Thematically, the record centres on social unity and cautious optimism, with tracks such as "American Dream" and "I Feel Hope Coming" touching on disillusionment with institutions while still pointing towards hope, reflecting Howard's belief that the music suits the current moment.