Photos: Tracy Bonham to Release LIFT, Reworking THE BURDENS OF BEING UPRIGHT

Two-time GRAMMY-nominated alternative artist Tracy Bonham is releasing LIFT, a reimagined version of her breakthrough album The Burdens of Being Upright, on November 13, 2026 via American Laundromat Records. Pre-orders are available here.

Photo Credit: David Young (hi-res)

'This album takes the anger and angst of my youth and creates something even more powerful— the confident wisdom of a woman who finally knows herself,' says Bonham about the new album.

A re-interpretation of her breakthrough album The Burdens of Being Upright, which was released in 1996 and spawned three singles, 'Sharks', 'The One' and her Number One Modern Rock smash and MTV staple 'Mother Mother,' Lift celebrates the 30th anniversary of her debut with brand new takes on that album with versions that reflect the experience and savvy she's collected over the last three decades. 'As the title suggests, I am lifting past burdens and old beliefs,' she explains. 'The songs are the same songs from my 1996 debut album. They have the same fire and energy, but they are treated much differently, coming from self-healing and ultimately transcending the trauma of abusive relationships.'

This expanded edition includes three bonus tracks: the melancholic 'Sunshine', the feisty and confrontational 'I'm Not A Waif' (both from her debut EP The Liverpool Sessions), and the fan-favorite cover of PJ Harvey's '50 Ft Queenie' that substitutes Polly Harvey's cutting guitars with Tracy's searing violin. 'Polly Harvey is partly why I had signed to Island Records in 1994,' she explains. 'I noticed she had played some violin on her first two albums on the songs 'Dress' and 'Man-Sized.' This inspired me to add violin to my writing and my performing on stage.'

As guided insight for the album, Tracy is releasing her new version of 'The One.' A fan favorite at shows, re-recording the track led to an emotional and cathartic epiphany about how much the song itself has changed. While the words are the same, the impulse behind them have elevated it onto a new plane. 'Recording the lead vocal for the 2026 version was an incredibly spiritual experience for me,' she says. 'I have never experienced anything like it. Before I went into the vocal booth, I asked a silent question, 'How many women in the world have been disempowered and abused?' I told my coproducer, Ken [Rich (Ingrid Michaelson, Toshi Reagon, Dar Williams)], 'I'm going to sing this for the ladies who never had a voice.' With their presence and energy in that booth, I sang the entire song from the depths of my soul. I went back into the control room and Ken was visibly emotional. I was exhausted and I immediately needed to lay down. I stayed on that studio couch for three hours unable to move. This is how I knew that I had had a real experience. An experience much larger than me and impossible to ignore.'

Originally written from a very personal and internalized place, the initial version of 'The One' transformed into a universal rallying cry, speaking out for women at large. 'The new version of 'The One' has made me realize that I have a responsibility to speak for other people, primarily women, who have been limited, diminished, and victimized,' Tracy explains. 'I feel it is important to call out the people who are abusers instead of protecting them as I once did. In the original version, I was expressive with the lyrics while hiding behind its catchy melodic pop chorus. When recording this new version, I was inspired by all the voices of people, especially women, before me who might not have had the chance to speak out.'

As part of the celebration of The Burdens of Being Upright's 30th anniversary, Tracy had performed a round of dates playing the gold-certified album in its entirety. 'The Burdens album was a rebellious encounter with expectations from others, claiming my own identity, and the confusion and rage as a young woman on my own,' she explains, recalling the release of that album when she was still in her late 20s. 'Thirty years later, the songs are as impactful but are landing differently for me. For the past 30 years, I've been playing small ever since the 'Angry Young Woman' moniker that made me recoil. I hated being labeled that, but still, I am a Gen X'er in menopause who is still trying to figure it all out, I am a single mother of a teenage boy in a cruel world (no, everything's not fine), and I have let the narrative of not having a voice lead me down dark paths. These songs are ultimately transforming who I am now.'

Tracy has announced a handful of live dates with more to be announced, including a special triple bill in Pittsburgh with Maia Sharp and Liz Berlin for Jillith Fair and Women Who Rock to honor the life of Jill Sobule. Also, in this special appearance at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library on Long Island, NY, Bonham will present 'Tracy Bonham on Alchemizing Anger,' a unique hybrid event blending an intimate musical performance with an engaging workshop. Tickets available here.

Live Show Dates

Oct 2 — Columbus, OH — Natalie's Grandview (Music Hall & Kitchen)

Oct 4 — Pittsburgh, PA — City Winery — Jillith Fair & Women Who Rock Presents Tracy Bonham, Maia Sharp, & Liz Berlin

Oct 10 — Hewlett, NY — Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library — 'Tracy Bonham on Alchemizing Anger'

Nov 13 — Boston, MA — Sonia (Full Band)

Nov 14 — New York, NY — Drom (Full Band)

More shows to be announced!

Known as a classically trained violinist and pianist, Tracy has undergone a large transformation over the last three decades. Her the album catapulted her into the spotlight, resulting in MTV fame that transformed her from a local artist to an international star with a #1 Modern Rock hit in her massive single 'Mother Mother,' (its video was in constant rotation on the channel), major radio play, a featured performer on Lillth Fair, multiple late night TV performances, and more. Her prime positioning in the rock kingdom has afforded her continued pop cultural references, including her music being included in the soundtrack to Bridget Jones' Diary, a regular warm-up gig for Blue Man Group, and more recently Showtime's YellowJackets and Canada's current hit series FEM.

A triumphant reimagining of the 1996 debut, LIFT, transforms Tracy's youthful angst into a sweeping work of healed, and confident wisdom. Accompanied by string arrangements that Bonham has created lend a certain beauty that is unique and loyal to her upbringing and roots as a classical musician. Through her 30 years of The Burdens Of Being Upright, Tracy has reclaimed her strength, clarity, and creative power, reframing her notable songs through a lived and personal experience, showing young women to trust their rage, honor their instincts, and transform that heat into power, purpose, and something fiercely beautiful.

LIFT, Tracy Bonham's 30th Anniversary Edition of The Burdens Of Being Upright, will be released on November 13, 2026 via American Laundromat Records. Pre-order the album here. Stream the original album here and purchase tickets to her upcoming fall shows here.

Tracklist

1. The One

2. One Hit Wonder

3. Navy Bean

4. Brain Crack

5. Mother Mother

6. Tell It To The Sky

7. The Real

8. Every Breath

9. Sharks Can't Sleep

10. Kisses

11. 30 Seconds

12. Bulldog

13. Sunshine*

14. 50 Ft Queenie*

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