Strap in and turn it up. Way up. From the land down under comes a noise that’s less of a song and more of a seismic event. Highroad No. 28 is back, and their second single, “Thistroubledsoul,” is an unfiltered excavation of the psyche, distributed with the might of The Orchard (Sony Music). This is a track built in the trenches, a manifesto of inner conflict and unresolved emotion that hits you square in the chest.
This powerful piece of music is currently a one-man army. While the band has had multiple lineups in the past, “Thistroubledsoul” is the sound of frontman Andrew JC standing alone in the storm. That’s right—every vocal, every cinematic guitar line, every brooding bass note that throbs in the darkness is all him. This is a clearing of the throat before the new live lineup hits the stage in 2026. It’s an artist proving his mettle, track by track, on the road to the band’s third album, The Will to Endure.
But the core of this track, its bruised and beating heart, is the theme. As Andrew JC puts it, “Thistroubledsoul is about carrying emotional weight — the quiet battles inside, the scars you don’t see, and the strange strength that comes from enduring them.” This is music that doesn’t shy away from the fight. It leans into the vulnerability and forges it into a weapon. You can hear that “strange strength” in the track’s build, in the way the emotionally raw vocals climb over that wall of sound, not in triumph, but in sheer, dogged persistence.
“Thistroubledsoul” is more than a single. It’s a benchmark. It announces that Highroad No. 28 is locked in, focused, and guiding every ounce of personal history into their art. Andrew JC has laid down a gauntlet with this solo effort, proving that sometimes the most powerful roar comes from a single, troubled soul. The will to endure has never sounded so compelling.