On November 7, The Mynabirds return with their highly anticipated new album, It’s Okay To Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward. The release arrives via Laura Burhenn’s own imprint, Our Secret Handshake, and is available now for pre-order. Alongside the announcement, the band has shared the record’s lead single, “Ramona, Patron Saint Of Silence,”which is streaming on Apple Music, Bandcamp, and YouTube.
Burhenn describes “Ramona” as a hymn to resilience, born out of a period of loss and personal reckoning. After years away from the microphone and a series of personal tragedies during the pandemic, she rediscovered her voice in the quiet. The song imagines a saintly guardian of silence, one who shelters, teaches, and ultimately reveals the strength of speaking out. Burhenn explains that the track serves as both a thank you and a call to action, a reminder that music can be medicine, and that voices joined together have the power to tear down broken systems.
The upcoming record marks a new chapter for The Mynabirds. Known for reinventing themselves across each release, Burhenn has moved from soulful Americana on What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood to fiery folk pop on Generals, intimate synth textures on Lovers Know, and widescreen anthems from BE HERE NOW. This time, she strips it back to essentials. Recorded live at 64 Sound with producer Pierre de Reeder (Rilo Kiley), the album features three new compositions alongside reimagined, acoustic versions of seven Mynabirds songs. Built on piano and voice without overdubs or digital polish, the collection is raw, vulnerable, and deliberately human.
“I felt like I went through a complete ego death with this record,” Burhenn shares. “I returned to how I first learned to write songs — just me at the piano, late at night, using music as therapy. The record is imperfect, raw, and deeply human. In a fast-paced, hi-tech time, I joked about calling it AI Could Never.”
Beyond music, Burhenn continues to use her platform for activism. Through her production company, Our Secret Handshake, she has created films and videos for artists including Hayley Williams, The War on Drugs, Animal Collective, and Phoebe Bridgers. She has also been vocal about her commitment to social causes. With this record, she launches the “Disarm Spotify” campaign, part of the BDS movement, in protest of Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in defense technology company Helsing. Burhenn has removed her music from the platform in solidarity, alongside Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, and Kadhja Bonet.
Since debuting The Mynabirds in 2010 on Saddle Creek, Burhenn has performed around the world, collaborated with bands like The Postal Service and Foster the People, and even taken her music to the political stage, singing at rallies with Bernie Sanders. Across four albums, she has consistently blended artistry with advocacy, proving that music can carry both personal catharsis and collective power.
It’s Okay To Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward will be released November 7 on vinyl and across all major streaming platforms, with the notable exception of Spotify.
Track List:
- Different This Time
- Velveteen
- Ramona, Patron Saint Of Silence
- Drinking Song
- Good Medicine
- Buffalo Flower
- Disarm
- Cocoon
- Hanged Man
- LA Rain
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