Grey DeLisle – Don’t Turn Around
Singer-songwriter Grey DeLisle has announced her forthcoming album, Don’t Turn Around, due October 23 via Hummin’bird Records, with the release of its lead single, “The Lights Are Off But Somebody’s Home.”
A darkly funny, rockabilly-flavored take on the Bakersfield Sound, the track transforms the classic country tale of a two-timing lover into a sharp-witted honky-tonk anthem packed with twang, swagger, and DeLisle’s signature blend of heartbreak and humor.
Produced by the late Andy Paley (Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Madonna) and completed by longtime collaborator Marvin Etzioni following Paley’s passing, Don’t Turn Around brings together an extraordinary cast of musicians including Deke Dickerson, Murry Hammond, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Leisz, Chris Scruggs, Tammy Rogers, Bernie Dresel, Mandy Barnett, Mickey Raphael, engineer Jake Gideon, and special guest Dave Alvin, who joins DeLisle for the duet “You’re Driving Me Away.” Drawing from classic country, California roots music, and rockabilly traditions, the album remains unmistakably Grey DeLisLe, pairing unforgettable storytelling with hard-earned humor and remarkable resilience.
Across its 11 songs, Don’t Turn Around explores the many ways people leave one another and the roads they travel afterward. Lovers drive away. Doors close. Empty houses become haunted by memory. Yet for all its heartbreak, the album is filled with warmth, wit, and resilience, affirming once again that few modern songwriters capture the spirit of classic country quite like DeLisle.
The story behind Don’t Turn Around is every bit as remarkable as the songs themselves, beginning between takes on the set of SpongeBob SquarePants. While voicing members of Sandy Cheeks’ family on the long-running animated series, DeLisle struck up an unlikely friendship with Paley, an acclaimed composer, songwriter, and producer whose credits included Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patti Smith, NRBQ, and The Ramones. After discovering that DeLisle was also a songwriter, Paley encouraged her to play him one of her songs. The song was “Don’t Turn Around,” and it marked the beginning of one of the most rewarding creative partnerships of DeLisle’s recording career.
Together, DeLIsle and Paley began crafting Don’t Turn Around before Paley’s unexpected passing in 2024. Rather than leave the project unfinished, longtime friend and collaborator Marvin Etzioni completed the album, honoring Paley’s vision while helping bring it to life.
Though millions know DeLisle as the voice of Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo, Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and beloved characters across The Fairly OddParents, The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, and more, songwriting has remained the throughline of her creative life. A Grammy-winning artist whose recordings have earned widespread critical acclaim, she continues to draw from the traditions of classic country while bringing her own unmistakable wit, warmth, and perspective to every song.
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