Lanie Gardner Announces Sophomore Album 'Faded Polaroids', Due September 5
Named by the Recording Academy as a “2025 Artist to Watch”, Lanie Gardner has officially announced her highly anticipated sophomore album Faded Polaroids, set for release on September 5 via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. Alongside the announcement, the North Carolina native has released the album’s powerful lead song, “High Divin’,” featuring legendary Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood on the drums. Listen now.
A full-circle moment for the 25-year-old artist — whose breakout came from a viral cover of "Dreams" (now at over 100M views) — “High Divin’” is an atmospheric anthem with a heart of self-reflection. Wrapped in shimmering guitars and soaring vocals, it captures the emotional leap of the journey of self-sabotage, while honoring the path that led her there.
“It’s one of the most important songs on the album for me," Gardner shares. “I was going through a pretty rough patch and needed to give myself a little tough love.”
Produced by Oscar Charles, Jonathan Singleton, Chris Ganoudis and Don Miggs, Faded Polaroids expands on the raw honesty of Gardner’s 2024 debut A Songwriter’s Diary, offering a sonic scrapbook of self-discovery, family roots, romantic twists, and personal healing. Across 18 tracks, Gardner blends country storytelling with indie-rock grit, small-town pop, and boundary-free emotion — a genre-bending vision uniquely.
“I created the idea of 'Faded Polaroids'' using actual polaroids. Some brand new, others nicotine-stained, withered, torn and worn from being passed down through the years,” says Gardner. “It felt like zooming out on my whole life and finally seeing the bigger picture. These snapshots — these songs — are the most beautiful parts of me. They tell the story of where I come from, who I come from, what I’ve learned and who I’m becoming. I hope these songs encourage people to take the time to make their own version of that too. I think it’s important that we all do.”
A full-circle moment for the 25-year-old artist — whose breakout came from a viral cover of "Dreams" (now at over 100M views) — “High Divin’” is an atmospheric anthem with a heart of self-reflection. Wrapped in shimmering guitars and soaring vocals, it captures the emotional leap of the journey of self-sabotage, while honoring the path that led her there.
“It’s one of the most important songs on the album for me," Gardner shares. “I was going through a pretty rough patch and needed to give myself a little tough love.”
Produced by Oscar Charles, Jonathan Singleton, Chris Ganoudis and Don Miggs, Faded Polaroids expands on the raw honesty of Gardner’s 2024 debut A Songwriter’s Diary, offering a sonic scrapbook of self-discovery, family roots, romantic twists, and personal healing. Across 18 tracks, Gardner blends country storytelling with indie-rock grit, small-town pop, and boundary-free emotion — a genre-bending vision uniquely.
“I created the idea of 'Faded Polaroids'' using actual polaroids. Some brand new, others nicotine-stained, withered, torn and worn from being passed down through the years,” says Gardner. “It felt like zooming out on my whole life and finally seeing the bigger picture. These snapshots — these songs — are the most beautiful parts of me. They tell the story of where I come from, who I come from, what I’ve learned and who I’m becoming. I hope these songs encourage people to take the time to make their own version of that too. I think it’s important that we all do.”
Born and raised in the tiny Appalachian mountain town of Burnsville, NC, Gardner grew up in a family of natural musicians, learning to sing from her mother and guitar from her father. A loner-turned-artist with a gift for turning diary entries into cathartic anthems, she eventually left home for Nashville, chasing the Grand Ole Opry dream of her late grandfather — a dream that comes full circle with her Opry debut on August 6. Get tickets here.
Following her recent Polaroids EP and breakout debut album — which earned her a “2025 Artist to Watch” nod from both the Recording Academy/GRAMMY and Amazon Music — Faded Polaroids finds Gardner stepping fully into her sound. From the soul-cleansing “Takin’ The Slow Ride” and smoldering “Concrete Cowboy”, to the rootsy, nostalgic title track and breezy “Love You Like Appalachia”, the album captures a rising star in her magic hour — honest, unfiltered, and unforgettable.
Faded Polaroids Track List:
Following her recent Polaroids EP and breakout debut album — which earned her a “2025 Artist to Watch” nod from both the Recording Academy/GRAMMY and Amazon Music — Faded Polaroids finds Gardner stepping fully into her sound. From the soul-cleansing “Takin’ The Slow Ride” and smoldering “Concrete Cowboy”, to the rootsy, nostalgic title track and breezy “Love You Like Appalachia”, the album captures a rising star in her magic hour — honest, unfiltered, and unforgettable.
Faded Polaroids Track List:
- “Takin’ The Slow Ride” (Lanie Gardner, Matt Jenkins, Jesse Frasure, Brad Tursi)
- “Boys Like You” (Lanie Gardner, Jimmy Robbins, Henry Agincourt Allen)
- “Boot Down” (Lanie Gardner, Allison Veltz-Cruz, Dallas Wilson, Ross Ellis)
- “The Hills Have Eyes” (Lanie Gardner, Carlo Colasacco, Rufio Hooks)
- “Little Bit Of Lovin’” (Lanie Gardner, Katie Cecil, Chris Ganoudis, Kasey Tyndall)
- “Faded Polaroids” (Lanie Gardner, Oscar Charles, Lori McKenna, Barry Dean)
- “Don’t Fall In Love” (Lanie Gardner, Zach Abend, Benjy Davis)
- “Rattler And The Devil’s Whip” (Lanie Gardner, David Medlin, Daymon Osborn)
- “Mama’s Kitchen Table” (Lanie Gardner, Karen Fairchild, Alysa Vanderheym)
- “Hold Your Horses” (Lanie Gardner, Jonathan Hutcherson, Jamie Moore)
- “Concrete Cowboy” (Lanie Gardner, Katie Cecil, Chris Ganoudis)
- “How Long ‘Til Tennessee” (Lanie Gardner, Daniel Ross)
- “Jeans” (Lanie Gardner, Kasey Tyndall, Logan Maggio, Beau Bailey)
- “Love You Like Appalachia” (Lanie Gardner, Matt Jenkins, Jeremy Stover)
- “Buzzkill” (Lanie Gardner, Katie Cecil, Chris Ganoudis)
- “Ur Mad” (Lanie Gardner)
- “Daddy Didn’t” (Lanie Gardner, Laura Veltz, Gordie Sampson)
- “High Divin’” (Lanie Gardner, Cate Downey, Ryan McMahon)
