Silverada releases new album "Living Proof"

Silverada, the band formerly known as Mike and the Moonpies, released their new album, Living Proof, on August 7. Where the band's acclaimed run of records, from 2015's Mockingbird through 2021's One to Grow On, and their 2024 self-titled album Silverada, built a reputation as one of the strongest live and studio outfits in modern country music, Living Proof leans further into Southern rock and 1980s California country rock, a shift Saving Country Music's review credited to frontman Mike Harmeier working within the band's current lineup rather than chasing the sound of records past.

That lineup changed significantly after steel guitarist Zachary Moulton left the band in March of 2025. Rather than replace him outright, Silverada built the new record around keyboardist Parker Twomey, echoing an earlier era of the band that also included a keys player, John Carbone. Lead guitarist Catlin Rutherford also takes a larger role across the record; the review noted bassist Omar Oyoque could eventually take on steel guitar duties too, having proven proficient on the instrument. Harmeier produced the album himself for the first time, cutting it at Sonic Ranch in West Texas, though longtime producer Adam Odor remains in the writing credits.

The album splits roughly in two: its first half leans on the freedom and resignation of life on the road, in songs like "Highway Man" and "Silver Eagle," while its second half turns to heartbreak on tracks including "Second Hand," "Jack" and "24-7-365." Saving Country Music's review pointed to the band's hero Gary Stewart, the subject of a new 550 page biography by Jimmy McDonough, as a touchstone for the album's mood: an artist who took his victories where he could without ever becoming the biggest name in the room.

The review called Living Proof "Silverada's classic rock record" and, while not especially twangy, full of a "lived-in feel, dripping with sweat and grease," crediting Harmeier's writing with a longtime skill for finding fresh angles on familiar cliches even where some individual lines felt underdeveloped.

Saving Country Music rated the album 8.1 out of 10, writing that "the season they're in right now is what is captured on Living Proof, and it's captured quite well, and compellingly."

Living Proof lands the same week as new country releases including Robert Henry and the Repeaters' Down The Road, both tracked on the release calendar alongside the rest of country music's new arrivals.