Hear Two Unreleased Jason Isbell Songs, ‘The Assassin’ and ‘Whisper’

A deluxe version of Jason Isbell's solo debut album, Sirens of the Ditch, is set for release in July, and its track listing includes four previously unreleased tracks. Two of those songs, "The Assassin" and "Whisper," have been shared ahead of time.

Readers can press play below to hear "The Assassin" and above to hear "Whisper." The former is a song written by Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, Isbell's former band, and appears on Hood's 2004 solo album Killers and Stars; the latter, Isbell wrote himself.

The deluxe edition of Sirens of the Ditch also features the unreleased songs "Racetrack Romeo" and "Crystal Clear." Isbell released the original version of the album with New West Records in 2007, after leaving the Drive-By Truckers earlier that year. Hood and Isbell co-produced the disc, which was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

The deluxe edition of Sirens of the Ditch will be available on July 13 digitally, on CD and on 180-gram vinyl. A limited-edition clear vinyl version will be available at independent record stores, while another limited-edition brown-and-cream-colored version will be available exclusively through Vinyl Me Please.

After Sirens of the Ditch, Isbell released 2009's Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and 2011's Here We Rest with Lightning Rod Records, before founding Southeastern Records. He has released three records on his own label, most recently 2017's The Nashville Sound.

Listen to Jason Isbell, "The Assassin":