It’s been five years since The Avett Brothers last released a new record, and at nine songs, their new self-titled LP is one of their shortest to date. But it still manages to tackle some of their biggest themes yet, centering on spirituality and purpose. The result is a mixed bag.
The album opens on the five-and-a-half minute long, mostly vocal “Never Apart,” an ambitious opening salvo for a band that has been fairly silent since the pandemic. And it is definitely a beautiful track, but a bit jarring for those who have grown accustomed to the band’s more fun, raucous and rambling songs. And some of those songs are certainly on this record; like “Country Kid,” a fantastic nostalgic singalong about growing up on a farm. It’s simple and addictively fun and the type of song that helped the band jumpstart the Americana revival almost two decades ago. That same upbeat vibe is on “Love Of A Girl,” a three-minute blast of energy with a big singalong chorus. But sandwiched between those two tracks is “Cheap Coffee,” a seven-minute-long song that is miles away lyrically and musically, a slow methodical look back at memories. It’s a good song but seems out of place here. “Same Broken Bones,” which starts off as acapella, comes off a bit out of place as well.
Elsewhere, “Forever Now” and “2020 Regret” are a bit slower with the latter being the more satisfying of the two songs – a simple ballad over piano and violin. The album closes on “We Are Loved,” another slow number but one of the sweetest songs the band has written since “I and Love and You”.
Working once again with their go-to producer and longtime supporter Rick Rubin, at nine songs, the band covers a lot of ground here. The collection of songs is ambitious – at times brilliant and other times tedious. But you can’t accuse The Avett Brothers of simply rerecording the same album over and over again.
