Stephanie Sammons Releases Sophomore Album HEAD NOISE
The Nashville-recorded project follows Sammons' wins at Kerrville Folk Festival and the Wildflower songwriter competition.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter and Texas native Stephanie Sammons has released her sophomore album, Head Noise, available everywhere now via her own Point Guard Records. Arriving on the heels of a series of major songwriting accolades—including the 2026 Kerrville Grassy Hill New Folk Winner and the Wildflower Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest Grand Prize Winner, along with the People's Choice Award—the 10-song collection marks a powerful new chapter for Sammons. She was also named a 2026 finalist in the Telluride Troubadour Competition for the second consecutive year and a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase.
Produced by Mary Bragg (The Accidentals, Grace Pettis) and recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, Head Noise captures Sammons at her most personal, exploring the internal conversations that shape a life: doubt, resilience, love, grief, surrender, and the search for clarity.
'Marathon,' the album's focus track, was inspired by a dear loved one who strives to outrun pain in a lifelong cycle of addiction. Her ability to keep running the race of life with endurance in the face of recurring self-destruction, and still come out alive, is nothing short of a miracle. 'I wanted to write about her strength as something positive, and 'Marathon' is what came out,' says Sammons. The tenderness of 'Marathon' comes alive with Sammons' delicate acoustic guitar-playing and open tuning (Sammons' hallmark style), alongside Josh Kaler's weeping pedal steel guitar.
Across Head Noise, Sammons examines the moments when that inner noise becomes impossible to ignore and the awareness that comes from naming it. The songs explore the complicated realities of loved ones struggling with addiction, the challenge of holding boundaries with people close to us, and the acceptance that comes only through time and experience. Sammons approaches these songs as an eldest daughter navigating aging parents, a stepmother to grown children, a wife, and an entrepreneur—all while staying anchored in her core identity as a songwriter.
The album's intimate production reflects Bragg's thoughtful, intuitive approach, keeping Sammons' acoustic guitar and emotionally precise storytelling at the center. The record features performances from Nashville musicians including Jordan Perlson (drums), Jon Estes (bass, keys), Josh Kaler (pedal steel and electric guitar), and Matt Rollings (piano), with Bragg contributing background vocals and piano.
'The musicality that Mary brings to the table as a producer and songwriter is how I imagined my songs to sound, in many cases, without even sharing with her. She has a special gift, which is why I chose to work with her on both of my full-length albums.'
Head Noise Track Listing
1. Lone Coyote
2. Head Noise feat. Mary Bragg
3. Marathon
4. Athena
5. Tough Love
6. More Than You
7. Midlife Twilight
8. Seagrove Beach
9. Darkest Hours
10. That Don't Worry Me Now
For more information on Stephanie Sammons and to view tour dates, visit stephaniesammons.com.
Photo Credit: Cameron Gott
Photo Credit: Cameron Gott
