Neil Young has confirmed the release of As Time Explodes, a live album with The Chrome Hearts, while revealing details of a newly completed studio record, Second Song, recorded in Malibu and shaped by a unique full moon timeline.
by Paul Cashmere
Neil Young will release the live album As Time Explodes on May 29, capturing performances with his current band The Chrome Hearts from their 2025 Love Earth Tour across Europe, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada. At the same time, Young has confirmed he has completed a new studio album titled Second Song, recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu and expected to follow the live set.
The dual announcement places Young in a prolific phase less than a year after Talkin To The Trees, his 2025 studio collaboration with The Chrome Hearts. The new projects span both the stage and the studio, offering a cross-section of his catalogue alongside newly written material and songs dating back to his earliest songwriting period.
Young outlined the significance of the new studio album in a message to fans, describing an intense creative cycle that began with a burst of songwriting aligned with the lunar calendar. “On the recent full moon we were mastering our new untitled album. It’s quite a special album to me. Music is a gift and when it comes like this I really feel it,” he wrote. “Everything here feels so good. I hope you will agree.”
The recording process for Second Song began at Shangri-La on a full moon, with Young and The Chrome Hearts, Spooner Oldham, Micah Nelson, Corey McCormick and Anthony LoGerfo, tracking five new songs across two days. With material exhausted, Young turned to his archives, uncovering three unreleased compositions written in 1963, predating his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
“Three 60 year old songs and five brand new ones,” he noted, with the album completed one month later on the next full moon, April 1.
Young also revealed a technical objective behind the sessions, recording both analogue and high resolution digital masters simultaneously. “Analog was the beginning, and it never sounded better. Hi res digital is a clear second best,” he said. “We will release them both. The Digital hi res master and the Analog Vinyl.” His comments continue a long standing advocacy for analogue recording fidelity, a position he has maintained since the early days of his catalogue.
The immediate release, however, is As Time Explodes, a 13 track live document produced by Lou Adler with The Volume Dealers, Young and Niko Bolas, and associate producer Anthony LoGerfo. The album draws from multiple shows on the 2025 tour, including major European appearances such as Glastonbury Festival, Hyde Park in London and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
The setlist spans Young’s career, from 1970 era songs like Ohio and After The Gold Rush through to recent material such as Silver Eagle from Talkin To The Trees. Signature works including Harvest Moon, Like A Hurricane and Cortez The Killer sit alongside less frequently performed tracks such as Long Walk Home, Daddy Went Walking, Be The Rain and Name Of Love. A newer composition, Big Crime, is also featured, offering a contemporary counterpoint within the set.
Young described the live recordings as capturing distinct interpretations shaped by the tour environment. “This wonderful tour of Earth’s ancient and beautiful Europe made such a cool record, unique versions of songs both old and new,” he said.
In a broader industry context, Young’s approach reflects a renewed emphasis on archival mining and analogue presentation, trends increasingly visible among legacy artists revisiting early material and prioritising sound quality in physical formats. The inclusion of songs written in 1963 positions Second Song as one of the earliest chronological touchpoints in Young’s recorded output, bridging more than six decades of songwriting.
Young closed his message with a broader reflection on purpose and community. “The world needs us to make a difference… be well everyone. We are so lucky to be here,” he wrote, framing the new music within a wider cultural and social awareness that has long informed his work.
With As Time Explodes set for release and Second Song completed, Neil Young continues to operate across timelines, revisiting the past while extending his catalogue into new territory.
As Time Explodes Tracklisting:
“Daddy Went Walking”
“Looking Forward”
“Harvest Moon”
“Ohio”
“Name Of Love”
“Be The Rain”
“Big Crime”
“Long Walk Home”
“Vampire Blues”
“Cortez The Killer”
“After The Gold Rush”
“Like A Hurricane”
“Silver Eagle”
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