Bo Armstrong

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Bo Armstrong is building a name for himself on songs centered around classic storytelling: anecdotes that are honest and relatable glimpses into the moments that make us — they’re about what it means to find the courage to keep going when times are tough, the importance of celebrating love when you find it and consistently renewing your faith in yourself. Originally announced as an EP, if your tired heart is aching…, now set for November 18 release, evolved into a full-length album that recognizes what it means to find curiosity, commitment, and perseverance in the face of those seasons in life that seem endlessly exhausting.

“It’s really hard to be at your best when you’re tired. It’s hard to be confident when you’re beat. It’s hard to see silver linings when you can’t keep your eyes open, and it’s hard to find the energy for tomorrow when you’re still thinking about today,” Armstrong says.

“But this record isn’t about defeat,” he continues. “It’s about following the trail of crumbs the universe leaves out for us to help us get to where we were always meant to be. The path is long and wears us thin, but there are such great gifts to be found along the way.”

“Which Way’s Home?” – the last song on the album, is an autobiographical look at Amstrong’s life over a 20-year span: moving from Dallas to New England to play ice hockey, falling in love with his wife, the years he spent in Mississippi with Teach for America, the decade in New York City and eventually his move to Nashville to pursue his musical dreams in 2017.

If your tired heart is aching… was produced, recorded and mixed by Brian Douglas Phillips (David Ramirez, Rob Baird, Thomas Csorba) at Rattle Trap Audio in Austin, TX. After an instrumental introduction, It kicks off with “Get It Right,” an up-tempo take on commitment, then “Why, Dallas,” which finds a scorned lover lamenting the southern city’s pull on the person they miss.

“Young Man’s Game,” a poignant love song, acts as a cornerstone for the album, while “More Than I Did Then” is a charming ballad written for Armstrong’s young family – his three-year-old Coleman even has a co-writing credit.

The album also features a cover of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” – one of the first songs Armstrong remembers falling in love with for its storytelling as a kid. The other side of the coin, “Stranger In My Bed,” explores the man left behind in the ‘90s country classic.

“Collecting Dust,” the penultimate track on the album, offers an inspiring take on the importance of moving forward.

Armstrong released Chasing Ballads in November 2020. Though the album's themes are personal, they’re also accessible and familiar – finding the love you believe in and going after it, acknowledging your past and letting it motivate your future, finding the courage to live in the moment without throwing caution to the wind, and learning that so little in life can be accomplished on your own — even if the road you’re on is sometimes a lonely one. Since, he’s also released two "Covers for a Cause” projects – one, a cover of Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over,” which garnered more than a million streams and $3,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health America, as well as his cover of Dua Lipa’s ‘Cool,” with streaming royalties going to the You Can Play Project and Planned Parenthood.