Luke Grimes drops ‘Haunted’ from Marshals soundtrack and new album

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• 🔥 Quick Facts
• From Kayce Dutton to Country Troubadour
• Unpacking ‘Haunted’ and the Redbird Sound
• The Redbird Tracklist is Pure Storytelling
• Marshals Becomes the Perfect Soundtrack for Album Momentum
• Can Luke Grimes Sustain His Country Music Success?
  • Sources

Luke Grimes just dropped ‘Haunted’ from his upcoming album Redbird, and the brooding track already appears in the new Marshals CBS series. Just four days ago, the Yellowstone star released the second single from his sophomore country album. The 10-track project launches April 3rd, 2026, marking his biggest music moment since stepping fully into the country spotlight.

From Kayce Dutton to Country Troubadour

Luke Grimes has already proven he’s serious about his music career. The 42-year-old actor, famous for playing Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone, released his debut album ‘Luke Grimes’ in 2024. Now, less than two years later, he’s back with Redbird, a deeply personal project that showcases his evolution as a songwriter and musician. This isn’t a vanity project, either. Grimes genuinely plays acoustic guitar, percussion, and drums on the recordings, recorded primarily at Georgia May Studio in Savannah and Nashville’s legendary RCA Studio A.

The timing couldn’t be better for Grimes. His Yellowstone spinoff, Marshals, premiered on March 1, 2026, and already features ‘Haunted’ in the first episode. The show follows his character Kayce Dutton as he joins an elite U.S. Marshals unit, giving the album maximum exposure during prime viewing moments.

Unpacking ‘Haunted’ and the Redbird Sound

‘Haunted’ is a brooding, introspective track that finds Grimes wrestling with lingering memories of a former flame. As he sings, he’s constantly reminded of her ghost in every corner of his house, unable to shake the haunting presence. This is classic alt-country storytelling, the kind of stripped-back emotional honesty that defines Grimes’ approach to music.

Grimes explained that making Redbird was a ‘cathartic experience in many ways.’ He calls it ‘deeply personal,’ centered on universal themes of love, loss, and learning. The album’s atmosphere reflects this maturity. Unlike some actors dabbling in music, Grimes doesn’t lean on features or star power. All 10 tracks are solo efforts with no guest artists, emphasizing his vision and Dave Cobb’s legendary production touch. Cobb has previously helmed albums for Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, so the pedigree runs deep.

Album Detail	Information
Album Title	Redbird
Release Date	April 3, 2026
Record Label	Range Music and MCA
Producer	Dave Cobb
Track Count	10 Original Songs
Guest Features	None

The Redbird Tracklist is Pure Storytelling

The Redbird tracklist reveals an album focused on emotional narrative. After the lead single ‘Love You Now’ (released February 13), listeners will hear ‘High Rise Jeans,’ ‘Come Home,’ ‘Hummingbird,’ and ‘Drink Drink Drink’, all co-written by Grimes, Cobb, and Dillon. Then comes ‘Love Me That Way’ with co-writers Nick Walsh and Wolf Mahler, followed by ‘I’m Not Gonna Leave You,’ ‘Without You,’ the centerpiece ‘Haunted,’ and closer ‘A Little More Time’ with Natalie Hemby.

What makes this album stand out is its coherence. There are no trap beats, no crossover attempts, no bids for radio play beyond traditional country markets. Grimes recorded this between January and February 2026, keeping the momentum from February through April. The album sits squarely in the alt-country space that Dave Cobb has mastered with artists like Simpson and Stapleton. Critics who dismissed Grimes’ first album as a celebrity pet project have been quietly won over by his authentic commitment to craft.

‘Making Redbird was a cathartic experience in many ways. Sometimes the highs and lows of life are too much to express with words, so song becomes necessary. As deeply personal as it is, the themes are simple and universal: love, loss, and learning along the way.’

— Luke Grimes, Actor and Musician

Marshals Becomes the Perfect Soundtrack for Album Momentum

The March 1 premiere of Marshals on CBS gives Grimes’ music unexpected reach. The show continues the story of Kayce Dutton from Yellowstone, now working within a fictional U.S. Marshals unit. ‘Haunted’ appears in the very first episode, providing thematic weight to his character’s internal conflict. This isn’t product placement; it’s artistic integration. A viewer watching Marshals will hear ‘Haunted’ and naturally become curious about the artist behind it.

By April 3rd, when Redbird drops, the show will have aired three weeks of episodes, building name recognition among CBS viewers who may not follow country music closely. Grimes has engineered his release strategy perfectly. The album momentum arrives exactly when Marshals reaches peak cultural conversation, creating a multiplier effect for streaming numbers and radio consideration.

Can Luke Grimes Sustain His Country Music Success?

The real question isn’t whether Luke Grimes has talent – his first album proved that. It’s whether he can maintain artistic credibility while balancing a demanding acting career. Most actors who enter music fail because they can’t commit the time and energy required. Interview quotes suggest Grimes recorded Redbird during filming breaks, which is ambitious. Yet the production quality and co-writer caliber indicates he’s investing real resources, not just showing up in a studio for two days.

Success requires consistency. If Grimes can release a third album in 2027 or 2028 without abandoning the alt-country lane, he’ll have earned permanent credibility. If this becomes a one-off vanity project when his Marshals contract ends, the critics will return. Will Luke Grimes prove he’s a genuine country artist, or just another Hollywood actor selling nostalgia to Yellowstone fans?

Sources

• Whiskey Riff – Comprehensive breakdown of Redbird album and ‘Haunted’ single details
• Holler Country – Official album announcement and tracklist confirmation
• Universal Music Canada – Press release on song release and featured CBS platform