New album Over Again - out now!

Transatlantic Duo, A Different Thread,

Start Over Again With New Album

Driving into the path of a solar eclipse, Alicia Best and Robert Jackson wrote a song called “Over Again.” It would become the title track of their third album, a record shaped by distance, resilience, and finally starting a new life together in the U.S. 

Best, from Durham, North Carolina, and Jackson, from the UK, met while busking on the cobbled streets of Ireland and discovered both a musical and personal harmony that was serendipitous. They formed as A Different Thread and over the next decade, toured across continents simply to stay together. Many of the songs on Over Again were written during the years when visas and closed borders kept them apart.

After receiving the paperwork to settle together in North Carolina, the duo faced a period of intense transition. “We had been in limbo for so long,” Robert recalls. “I had just quit drinking, packed my life into a suitcase, and moved across the ocean. We had all these songs we had been carrying and we knew we had to lay them down.” Then in the middle of recording, Alicia’s grandmother died, adding grief to the mix. "The songs became our way of holding onto hope through all that. When the eclipse came, we saw it as a symbol of our own transformation. Over Again is us letting go of the past, finally putting down roots and choosing a brighter future together,” the duo reflects.

The title track recently won the Folk/Americana category at the International Acoustic Music Awards, signaling the duo’s rising recognition. Over Again follows a breakout year that included a performance at MerleFest, placements on Apple Music editorial playlists, and growing attention on the international circuit.

Crowdfunded by a global fanbase, the album was recorded in the duo’s tiny-home studio and Betty’s in Chapel Hill, NC, (known for hosting artists such as Watchhouse, The Mountain Goats, and Tyler Childers). It was later completed at Alma Vale Studio in Bristol, UK.

Across it’s eleven tracks, Over Again evokes bittersweet nostalgia, balancing intimate storytelling and social commentary, with charming harmonies, memorable hooks, and an underlying feeling of hope. 

Pivotal track, "The Prophet," examines the intersection of religion, profit, and political power while calling for environmental responsibility. “Loving your neighbor is also about loving the soil they walk on and the environment their children play in,” Best says. “We have to stop pretending things are okay and take action to protect the world we live in.”

A Different Thread will support the album with an extensive international tour across North America, Spain, France, and England.