From Ireland to North Carolina, Transatlantic Duo, A Different Thread, Start Over Again With New Album

Driving into the path of a solar eclipse, Alicia Best and Robert Jackson wrote a song called “Over Again.” It would become the title track of their third album, a record shaped by distance, resilience, and finally building a home together in America.

Best, from Durham, North Carolina, and Jackson from the Midlands, UK, met while busking on the streets of Ireland and discovered both a musical and personal harmony that was serendipitous. Since forming A Different Thread, the group has independently released three full-length albums and toured internationally, building a reputation for rich harmonies, award-winning songwriting, and engaging live storytelling.

Travel allowed them to stay together, though many of the songs on Over Again were written during the years when visas and closed borders kept them apart. After receiving the paperwork to finally settle together in North Carolina, the duo faced a period of intense transition. “We had been in limbo for so long,” Robert recalls. “I had just quit drinking, packed my life into a suitcase, and moved across the ocean. We had all these songs we had been carrying and we knew we had to lay them down.” Then in the middle of recording, Alicia’s grandmother died, adding grief to the mix. "The songs became our way of holding onto hope through all that. When the eclipse came, we saw it as a symbol of our own transformation. Over Again is us letting go of the past, finally putting down roots and choosing a brighter future together,” the duo reflects.

The title track won ‘Best in Folk’ at the 2026 International Acoustic Music Awards and the album has earned praise from Rolling Stone Germany, Americana UK, No Depression, and RnR Magazine, with critics highlighting their “harmonies to-die-for”, “exquisite songwriting.” and “all killer, no filler” approach.

Pivotal track, "The Prophet," examines the intersection of religion, profit, and political power while calling for environmental responsibility. “Loving your neighbor is also about loving the soil they walk on and the environment their children play in,” Best says. “We have to stop pretending things are okay and take action to protect the world we live in.”

Recorded across three studios and two continents, including Betty’s in North Carolina (Tyler Childers, Watchhouse) and Alma Vale Studio in the UK (Yola, Elles Bailey), the eleven songs trace a remarkable journey from long-distance love, separation, grief, towards reunion, renewal, and belonging. Alongside their own story, Best and Jackson explore wider questions around mental health, social and environmental justice, and how to find courage in uncertain times.

“We write songs to bring people together, to inspire kindness, and to work towards a brighter future for all of us”. - A Different Thread