Pete Droge Fade Away Blue LP

Pete Droge gets personal on his captivating 2025 album, Fade Away Blue, reflecting on the loss of his birth mother and the remarkable journey that followed as he reunited with long-lost relatives, battled a mysterious illness, and discovered himself in the process. Recorded with Grammy-winning producer Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann), the collection is largely autobiographical, built on a series of dreamy, cinematic snapshots from throughout Droge's life. The songs are bittersweet, balancing longing and gratitude in equal measure, and the arrangements are warm and inviting, with a spotlight fixed firmly on Droge's tender lyrics and understated delivery. The result is an album a lifetime in the making, a rich, revelatory sonic memoir that faces down doubt and despair with love, resilience, and commitment at every turn.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Droge is a songwriter's songwriter who's shared bills with the likes of Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash. Since rocketing to early acclaim on the strength of his 1994 debut, Necktie Second, Droge has released a series of critically lauded solo albums, appeared in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous; teamed up with Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins to form the Americana supergroup The Thorns; recorded three collections with his partner, Elaine Summers, as The Droge and Summers Blend; and composed a variety of works for film and television, including feature scores and commercial spots for brands like Toyota, T-Mobile, and State Farm.