The Avett Brothers are returning with their first album since 2009’s “I and Love and You,” with “The Carpenter” out on Sept. 11 this year.
The set has been preceded by the first single “Live and Die,” which is available for streaming via NPR as of today. The tune goes up for purchase on July 9; it’s a style familiar to fans of the band, which has steadily stepped away from rockabilly elements and bluegrass toward more middle-of-the-road, pleasant, folk-inspired pop tunes with their penchant harmonies. This one starts out with a trotting banjo and ends with a chorus that can only be dislodged from your mind with a crowbar.
Listen to “Live and Die” here.
It doesn’t sound like executive producer Rick Rubin is aiming to have the band spin on radio, though it’s not totally out of the question — what with pop radio in its own sea change and rock radio embracing roots-inspired acts like Mumford & Sons and Of Mice And Men.
“The Carpenter” was recorded in the band’s native North Carolina and out of Malibu, and will be the first released under a joint venture between Rubin’s American Recordings and Universal Republic.
“‘The Carpenter’ includes several of the group’s signature harmony-driven acoustic ballads such as ‘The Once and Future Carpenter,’ a song that paints a picture of life on the road, the waltzing sing-a-long ‘Down with the Shine,’ and the elegant ‘Winter in My Heart,’ a song the band performed for only the second time on the main stage at Bonnaroo earlier this month,” reads a released statement. “But the brothers also get boisterous on tunes like ‘Paul Newman Versus the Demons,’ an ode to their favorite actor.”
True to their road warrior origins, the Avett Brothers have outlined extensive tour dates, below:
6/26 Vancouver, BCVancouver International Jazz Festival
6/28 Salt Lake City, UT Gallivan Center w. City and Colour
6/29 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheater w. City and Colour
6/30 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheater w. Devotchka
7/03 Council Bluffs, IA The Cove
7/05 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
7/06 Des Moines, IA 80/35 Festival – Western Gateway Park
7/07 Minneapolis, MN Basilica Block Party
7/20 Glen Allen, VA Innsbrook After Hours at Snagjob Pavilion
7/21 Camden, NJ2012 Xponential Festival
7/22 Bridgeport, CT Gathering Of The Vibes Festival
7/26 Kansas City, MO Crossroads KC
7/27 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Center
7/28 New Braunfels, TX Whitewater Amphitheater
8/22 Chico, CA California State University @ Chico
8/24 Jacksonville, OR Britt Pavilion
8/25 Troutdale, OR Edgefield
8/26 Troutdale, OR Edgefield
8/29 Palmer, AKAlaska State Fair
8/31 Quincy, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre
9/01 Quincy, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre
9/02 Quincy, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre
9/12 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
9/14 Fredericton, NB Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival
9/15 Burlington, VT Grand Point North Festival
9/16 Boston, MABank of America Pavilion
9/18 New York, NY Central Park – Rumsey Playfield
9/21 Atlanta, GA Music Midtown Festival
9/23 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion
9/28 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion
9/29 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theater
9/30 Indianapolis, IN The Lawn @ White River State Park
10/14 Austin, TX Austin City Limits
10/21 Clearwater, FL Clearwater Jazz Holiday
10/26 New Orleans, LAVoodoo Music + Arts Experience