Michael Landgarten and The Converts turn 'The Long Highway' into a sweeping journey through life, loss and transcendence

On their debut full-length 'The Long Highway', Michael Landgarten and The Converts bring together decades of friendship, hard-earned musical instinct and a restless fascination with life’s biggest questions. It's an album with dust on its boots and philosophy in its bloodstream, moving confidently between heartland rock, country soul, folk storytelling and the rawer edges of alternative music.

Although The Converts are new in name, the chemistry is anything but. Landgarten is joined by guitarist Jay Fortin, bassist and vocalist Marc McElroy, and drummer and vocalist Robbie Kneeland, all musicians connected through more than thirty years of shared history across New England’s independent music communities. And that familiarity gives the record an effortless pulse. These are players who know when to drive a song forward, when to pull back and when to leave just enough space for an emotion to land.

The title-track is one of the album’s most striking achievements. ‘The Long Highway’ begins with a man facing the threat of immigration enforcement, but Landgarten expands that situation into a meditation on mortality, destiny and the possibility of peace when control begins to disappear. It's a bold piece of writing, politically grounded yet spiritually searching, balancing human vulnerability with a strangely uplifting sense of acceptance.

‘The Flow’ is equally compelling. Inspired by a transformative trip to Spain, the song captures the exhilarating feeling of slipping free from routine, anxiety and expectation. Yet that liberation is complicated by memory, longing and the gravitational pull of someone no longer present. What begins as a song about lost love gradually opens into a profound reflection on presence itself.

Across the album, The Converts give these ideas physical weight. Fortin’s guitar work brings grit, drama and flashes of controlled fire, while McElroy and Kneeland create a rhythm section that feels both steady and responsive. Their harmonies add another layer of humanity, transforming Landgarten’s private reflections into something shared.

Following Landgarten’s 2025 solo album 'Back To You', 'The Long Highway' feels like a major expansion of scale and possibility. His writing remains intimate, but the full-band setting allows every question, memory and emotional turn to hit with greater force.

But what makes the record so rewarding is its refusal to simplify experience. Love can bring freedom and attachment. Mortality can inspire fear and clarity. And the road ahead can feel threatening and full of promise at the same time.

Michael Landgarten and The Converts embrace all of those contradictions and turn them into a rich and powerful listening experience. 'The Long Highway' is a record about staying awake to life while the landscape keeps changing, and every mile feels worth travelling.