Norther, the upcoming new album, captures the band at their most colorful, offering up a hard-hitting version of American roots music that's influenced by country, folk, and roadhouse rock & roll. It's a sound that's been shaped by the road, where the Saints spent the past decade on tour, building a cult audience with each gig. Those years of raw, redemptive performances are now paying off — not only with headlining concerts at bucket-list venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater (which the group sold out in 36 hours) and the Ryman Auditorium, but also with an appearance on the hit TV show Yellowstone, where the Saints premiered Norther's final track, "Fire in the Ocean," with an onscreen performance.

For an independent band like Shane Smith & the Saints, the work is never done. "It's like you can't help but feel like you've paid your dues to get to a certain spot, but once you get there, you realize you're just starting to touch the surface of the bigger picture," Smith admits.