The Lumineers Release Isabelle Fly on Dualtones 25-Year Anniversary Compilation

When Dualtone celebrated a quarter‑century of releases on September 10, 2026, The Lumineers quietly slipped a long‑awaited track into the mix. "Isabelle Fly"—a song that had only surfaced on the soundtrack of a 2021 Netflix film—now finds a permanent home on the label’s anniversary collection, Keep Pressing On: 25 Years Of Dualtone.

The track first appeared in the opening titles of The Starling, a comedy‑drama that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021, before hitting U.S. theaters on September 17 and Netflix on September 24. The film’s narrative, which follows a woman named Lilly Maynard (played by Melissa McCarthy) as she confronts the loss of her infant daughter, is underscored by the song’s gentle refrain: "It’s alright, Isabelle, it’s alright / I know there’s only one way to fly." Despite the movie’s lukewarm reception—19 % on Rotten Tomatoes and 31/100 on Metacritic—the music carved out its own identity.

Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, the founding duo behind The Lumineers, wrote "Isabelle Fly" specifically for the film. Simone Felice produced the recording, and the band delivered the performance that paired acoustic instrumentation with the lyrical themes of grief and resilience that echo the film’s story.

Dualtone, the independent label that has issued every studio album by the band, marked its 25th anniversary with the Keep Pressing On compilation. Founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington, the label has been distributed by the Alternative Distribution Alliance. Entertainment One acquired Dualtone in 2016, and the parent company was rebranded as MNRK Music Group in September 2021.

Including "Isabelle Fly" on the anniversary set gives the song a formal place in The Lumineers’ catalog after its earlier, limited appearance in a film soundtrack. The track aligns with the group’s signature style—concise melodies, acoustic textures, and narratives that grapple with relationships, loss, and perseverance. Since their debut, the band has released five studio albums through Dualtone: The Lumineers (2012), Cleopatra (2016), III (2019), Brightside (2022), and Automatic (2025).

The Lumineers’ journey began with Schultz and Fraites’ songwriting partnership in New York before they moved to Denver in 2009. In 2010, cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek joined the ensemble, adding depth to their sound. Their debut album broke onto the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and spawned the worldwide hit "Ho Hey," setting the stage for a career defined by stripped‑back, emotionally resonant music.

Beyond studio releases, the band has a history of contributing to film and television soundtracks. Schultz and Fraites penned "The Hanging Tree" for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, while a collaboration with Zach Bryan produced "Spotless," which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. These projects underscore the duo’s comfort with narrative songwriting across media.

According to reports, the Keep Pressing On compilation features "Isabelle Fly" alongside other tracks that had not previously appeared on a mainline release. The collection serves both as a celebration of Dualtone’s legacy and a means to make the song more accessible to listeners who first encountered it through The Starling.

The addition of "Isabelle Fly" does not herald a new phase for The Lumineers; instead, it highlights a previously underrepresented piece of their output. Its origins in a 2021 film and recent inclusion on a 2026 compilation illustrate the band’s ongoing engagement with storytelling across different platforms.

In short, The Lumineers’ placement of "Isabelle Fly" on Dualtone’s 25‑year anniversary compilation gives a formal home to a track that has lingered on the periphery of the band’s discography since 2021. The move reaffirms Dualtone’s pivotal role in the Lumineers’ career and the enduring power of the group’s narrative approach.