Pete Yorn has hit numerous milestones lately. First, his acting debut in Martin Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, then his 9th top 10 AAA hit, a landmark birthday and now his tenth studio album. The Hard Way (via Shelly Music) is a country-folk blend featuring Yorns’ raw vocals, cinematic strings and vivid, confessional lyrics. The record was co-written and produced by Josh Gudwin. The stunning and succinct 25-minute album features the introspective “Someday, Someday,” which Yorn debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Good Morning America in January or 2024, and “Real Good Love,” which he performed on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Pete performed the title track on Jimmy Kimmel Live in January of 2025. The Hard Way bears proof that it is no wonder SPIN aptly lauds Yorn as “one of his generation’s best songwriters.”
Pete says, "I was face to face with my own mortality, and that forces you to rise above it and figure out new ways to look at life and change the ways you react to things. It's not a bummer record, the title comes from [the idea that] change is hard, but [if you] commit to something and if you want to make your life better for everyone around you, including yourself, you have no choice but to do that. It's a celebratory record, it makes me excited and proud of being able to rise above a lot of adversity in my personal life."