NEAL MORSE BAND (NMB), featuring MIKE PORTNOY, shares single 'Hurt People' from upcoming 'L.I.F.T.' album
08-12-2025
For over a decade, NEAL MORSE BAND, now known simply as NMB, has stood as one of progressive rock’s most enduring and unified collectives. With their latest studio album “L.I.F.T.” set for release on February 27, 2026, Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Eric Gillette, Bill Hubauer and Randy George return with a work that embodies vision, passion and inspiration . Written and recorded during a period of major transition, “L.I.F.T.” captures the band’s creative chemistry at its most instinctive and inspired. Now the band has revealed the second single from the album, titled “Hurt People”.
Watch “Hurt People” below.
Neal Morse comments: “At some point in my life, I heard the phrase ‘hurt people hurt people’, meaning that those who are doing damage to others are damaged themselves. Anyway, the phrase always stayed with me.
“When we were writing ‘L.I.F.T.’, we were at the point in the story arc where the person has his or her break in belonging, and we were working on this heavy section. Mike and Eric were playing this heavy stuff and I started singing ‘hurt people hurt people’ over what they were doing. It didn’t fully come to life until Eric sang it, (what a vocal! — not to mention guitar solo!) which didn’t happen till months later, but when it all came together, wow.”
Watch the previously released “Fully Alive” below.
Conceptually, “L.I.F.T.” stands toe to toe with NMB‘s greatest works like their much-acclaimed concept album “Similitude Of A Dream”, combining emotional depth with the band’s trademark progressive rock grandeur.
“In short, ‘L.I.F.T.’ is a prog concept album that follows the journey of someone seeking to belong to something greater than themselves” Morse explains. “It starts with feeling connected to the world and life, then there is a break in belonging, after which comes the turmoil and desperate cry, leading to a return to that place of profound connection.”
The album title came late, though its meaning remains intentionally vague.
“We thought it could stand for different things,” says Randy. “It’s kind of whatever the listener wants it to be.”
True to the band’s collaborative spirit, “L.I.F.T.” began with the usual whiteboard full of ideas, with columns under each member’s name filled with riffs and snippets. However, few of them made it on to the final album.
“We hardly used any of the ideas on the board,” says George. “Most of it was written right there in the room, more so than in the past.” While Bill Hubauer contributed a few early sketches, and Morse improvised piano pieces that evolved into key themes, much of the music took shape spontaneously.
The sessions were engineered by longtime collaborator Jerry Guidroz, with all drum tracks recorded on-site before each member continued working individually from home studios. For the first time, NMB worked entirely outside their familiar recording environment, at Eric Gillette‘s studio in Tulsa, adding a layer of uncertainty to the process.
“It was strange not being in the usual studio,” George admits. “But hearing the final mixes, it all came together beautifully.”
Mixing once again fell to longtime collaborator Rich Mouser, who has been refining NMB‘s complex sound for years. As George explains, the band sends him the tracks and lets him work independently: “We just let him do his thing.” Despite the enormous amount of detail in the arrangements, Mouser once again delivered a mix where “everything lives.” The drums, in particular, stand out. Mouser will experiment by removing or combining elements “to see what it sounds like if this isn’t there.” The result is another brilliant showcase of the band’s trademark sound.
With artwork created by longtime collaborator Thomas Ewerhard, the “L.I.F.T.” will be available as a limited 2CD digipak (including instrumental versions), standard CD jewelcase, gatefold 2LP and as digital download.
Track listing:
01. Beginning (06:48)
02. Fully Alive (05:02)
03. I Still Belong (03:32)
04. Gravity’s Grip (02:03)
05. Hurt People (08:05)
06. The Great Withdrawal (05:08)
07. Contemplation (02:20)
08. Shame About My Shame (05:50)
09. Reaching (07:32)
10. Carry You Again (05:02)
11. Shattered Barricade (01:25)
12. Fully Alive Part 2 (06:18)
13. Love All Along (11:18)
