THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Avett Brothers’ new self-titled album — their first in five years — was produced by longtime collaborator, friend and early champion Rick Rubin. The Avett Brothers is as much untitled as it is self-titled, for as Thomas Keating said: “Silence is God’s first language — everything else is a poor translation.”
From the album’s all-vocal opening to the sharp, scrappy and scorching rock ’n’ roll blast of lead single Love Of A Girl — along with the novel strains of folk, roots, synth and strings that have landed The Avett Brothers numerous Billboard Top 5 and chart-topping albums, three Grammy nominations, five Americana Music Awards, a documentary co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, and so much more — this record is one that revealed itself naturally over time.
Recorded in Malibu’s Shangri-La Studios, as well as Nashville, Mar Vista, and the band’s hometown of Concord, N.C., The Avett Brothers is a collection of songs seen through a lens of independently studied spirituality; questions and considerations in the interest of the divine unknowable.
In an ongoing attempt to comprehend existence and our interpersonal connectedness, these songs seek the sacred in the commonplace: A cheap cup of coffee, the smallest movement of love, broken hearts and school bus lessons, a baby’s first and second steps, growing older and holding on to one’s roots, losing someone and accepting fate, rediscovering hope and finding sanctity in tragedy… ultimately reveling in the fun and surrender of what we cannot understand.
As their first full-length release since 2007’s Emotionalism, The Avett Brothers is both a cumulative opus and fresh start for the band’s future as a multifaceted and singular force. In the time that has passed since their last album, the band have also debuted Swept Away, a new musical inspired by and featuring their music, backed by a cast and crew that have earned a collective 10 Tony Awards. Hailed as a spellbinding tale, the show has completed successful runs in Berkeley and D.C.
Furthermore, the North Carolina Music Hall of Famers recently earned a Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance from the Americana Honors & Awards, while Seth Avett released a solo album celebrating his songwriting hero Greg Brown, Bob Crawford created a podcast about John Quincy Adams, and Scott Avett had multiple exhibits for his work as a figurative painter (while creating all the artwork and illustrations that will accompany The Avett Brothers LP).”
