Atlanta Pop-Rock Band Penelope Road Releases New Single 'Smile Again'

Atlanta pop-rock band PENELOPE ROAD has released a new single titled Smile Again, the group's latest offering in the pop-rock genre.

The single, out now via Warner Records, arrives during a packed season of tour dates and festival stops. The bright new single is already a proven fan-favorite on the road, and a fitting tribute to the grounding sensation of seeing your loved one smile.

Penelope Road have been crisscrossing the country on The Chance Encounter Tour since February, earning rave reviews while making standout appearances at BottleRock, Okeechobee and Summerfest. They're booked through the fall, with upcoming festival stops at Virginia's FloydFest, followed by Lollapalooza, Buffalo's Borderland, and Louisville's Bourbon & Beyond. In between, they've got several headliners, a co-headlining run with South Carolina indie rockers Winyah, and additional dates supporting the blues-steeped Marcus King Band, who they toured with in June and joined for headline-making covers of Grateful Dead and Bob Seger. Tickets are available here.

Building off of Penelope Road's sweetly grooving Chance Encounter EP, 'Smile Again' leans into a breezy, feel-good sound that the band brings to life alongside producers Matthew Cooke and Jonny Coffer (Rag'n'Bone Man, Miley Cyrus). After opening on sunny guitars and soothing harmonies, the cut settles into an easy ramble as Max Moore and Charles Eastman sing about the joyous comfort of a familiar love: 'Run down the street and long for the weekend, your story is all I need in the end / At the end of a long day, even miles away, I will see you smile again.'

''Smile Again' is the first song we wrote for the album. We immediately fell in love with this song and it will mark a 'new era' of Penelope Road that we can't wait to put into the world. As a lot of our fans know if they've come to a show of ours, 'Smile Again' is a special moment in the set. It seems to get a different kind of reaction than some of the old stuff, but in the best way possible. We can't wait to share that feeling and sound with everyone now!' says the band.

Released in October, Chance Encounter landed on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's '10 Best Albums by Georgia Artists in 2025,' alongside names like Teddy Swims and Playboi Carti, with the esteemed paper praising Penelope Road's 'deft blend of classic rock, soul, and funk.' With heart-on-sleeve lyrics, full-band jams, and strikingly warm harmonies, the EP included the daydream-y opener 'Chance Encounter' and early highlight 'Feel It Coming My Way' — songs that underscore the palpable chemistry of one of music's most talked-about live acts.

The band followed up by showing off their mindmeld to audiences at home with a series of live studio recordings and performance videos, including a fresh, intimate take on 'Chance Encounter,' a soulful cover of Olivia Dean's 'Man I Need,' and — recorded for The Recording Academy's Reimagined series — an Americana-rich 50th anniversary revival of Eagles' 'Lyin' Eyes.'

The set also contributed to a banner year for Penelope Road in which they sold more than 20,000 headline tickets, with nearly every show selling out in advance. They also shared the Diamond Street Sessions EP, recorded at Atlanta's Diamond Street Studios with input from David Ryan Harris (John Mayer, Alicia Keys), launching 'Out Tonight' and 'So It Goes.'

Formed in Atlanta in 2022 while the fellas were still in college, Penelope Road quickly built a grassroots following with their blend of rock, soul, and pop, rooted in impeccable musicianship and five-part harmonies. Drawing inspiration from icons like Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, and the Eagles, as well as contemporary boundary-pushers like Mk.gee, the band has earned praise from Creative Loafing Atlanta, who declared the band 'in a league of their own,' and HITS Daily Double for their 'organically soulful pop-rock' and 'impeccable stacked harmonies.'

With 'Smile Again,' Penelope Road open up a fresh chapter in their quickly developing story. The single is out now via Warner Records.

Penelope Road Live Dates

Jul 25 – Floyd, VA @ FloydFest ^

Jul 30 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza ^

Jul 30 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village (Lollapalooza Aftershow)

Aug 07 – Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company %

Aug 13 – Wilmington, NC @ Bowstring Brewyard

Aug 14 – Isle of Palms, SC @ The Windjammer

Aug 20 – Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine %

Aug 21 – Columbia, SC @ The Senate %

Aug 22 – Gainesville, FL @ Heartwood Soundstage %

Aug 26 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson Theater %

Aug 27 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel %

Aug 28 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre %

Aug 29 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre %

Sep 11 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater *

Sep 12 – New York, NY @ SummerStage in Central Park *

Sep 13 – Ithaca, NY @ State Theater of Ithaca *

Sep 15 – Burlington, VT @ Flynn Center for the Performing Arts *

Sep 17 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony

Sep 19 – East Aurora, NY @ Borderland Music Festival ^

Sep 26 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond ^

^ festival

* supporting Marcus King Band

% co-headlining with Winyah

Photo Credit: HannaMidd Photos

About Penelope Road

Penelope Road is here to bring real performance back. It's a goal as easy to grasp and slyly ambitious as the Atlanta soul-poppers' music, and that mission is playing out live to the tune of 20,000 tickets sold in the first half of 2025 alone. Call it throwback if you want; they don't mind. This is a quintet of twenty-somethings who cover America and The Eagles at their increasingly

Need more South Korea Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...