Keith Urban announces his latest album 'HIGH,': Here's when it will come, how to get it

Keith Urban has announced Sept. 20 as the release date for "HIGH," his 13th studio album.

The release is his first album in nearly four years following "The Speed of Now Part 1."

A press statement offers that the 12-track release will reference themes of "what it is to be alive, human connection, cutting loose and some personal life revelations."

"I've always been drawn toward the subject of living in the moment, because it's all there is, and it's hard to do," says Urban. "And these days with so much 'content' flying at us, it can feel like drinking from a fire hose."

The album is currently available for pre-save and pre-order via strm.to/KeithUrbanHIGH.

Continuing, he adds, regarding the album title, "What makes you 'high' can mean whatever you want it to mean. It might be physical, spiritual, herbal, meditative, chemical or musical, but it's definitely a place of utopia. For me it's my family, my friends, and this rollercoaster musical journey I'm on. Playing guitar, writing songs and the place where I always feel high – playing live. Every night I get a chance to bring an energy and a release to people."

Urban is still a solo tastemaker a quarter-century into his Nashville career. He's also willing to cosign who he honestly believes are the present and future tastemakers of the country's mainstream.

Most notably, the album's Lainey Wilson collaboration "GO HOME W U" features another Academy of Country Music award-winning country radio chart-topper, BRELAND, as a co-writer.

Those connections and the power of Nashville's songcraft at present nearly caused Urban to deviate from his progressive-minded creativity for the release and instead opt for the "focused and disciplined" path of calling the album "615," in honor of the breadth of styles apparent in Nashville's artistic revival.

That process felt suitable for Urban, but as a cohesive group of songs, the final product, on the one hand, was underwhelming.

However, there was a silver lining: it showed Urban a new light of where he stands as a leading inspiration — instead of being one of many creatives — in Music City in 2024.

Urban says about the scrapped "615" project, "There was no continuity. The songs didn't work well together. I learned that what I thought was a framework to create within turned out to be musically limiting."

Tracks like the newly-released "WILDSIDE" offer an early sense of where Urban, with a renewed vigor, is aiming his broadest creative scope yet:

A press statement calls the song "a straight up, good-time party song loosely based on Joan Cusack's character in the movie "The School of Rock."

"She's the principal of a school by day, all prim and proper," says Urban. "And then, a few tequilas at night and all bets are off."

For more information on Keith Urban visit keithurban.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is Keith Urban releasing a new album? Here's when you can get 'HIGH'