Striking a balance between consistency and exploration can be a tough line to toe for musicians and artists alike.
For their 11th album — and first in five years — The Avett Brothers have found that line. Produced by Rick Rubin, the nine songs on the self-titled album feature the bands well-known ballads, love songs, reflections on life and death, and regrets. They're also dabbling in their earlier and louder sounds with epic seven-minute long jams.
The self-titled release opens with "Never Apart (w/ Vocal Prelude)," a song that builds into classic Avett Brothers, contemplating life and death. It's followed by "Love of a Girl," a song that veers from the expected, but channels previous punkier and louder sounds from the siblings. It's fast, fun and packs a lot of words into three minutes.
One of the standout tracks on the album is "Cheap Coffee," a seven-minute burner that is beautiful, searing and guitar heavy. While addressing political concerns, "Orion's Belt" features a hook that also makes it instantly feel like summer with the car windows rolled down.
The descriptive storytelling the band is known for is a throughline. "Country Kid" is a nostalgic song that dips a bit into cute territory while telling of their life growing up, while "2020 Regret" takes us back to the dark days of 2020.
Must listens
- "Love of a Girl"
- "Cheap Coffee"
- "Country Kid"
- "Orion's Belt"
- "2020 Regret"
