“Well we’re all in this together, if I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.” If there was ever a line so full of inspiration, revelation and morbidity all at once, this is it. So goes the theme of the Avett Brothers’ newly released studio album, The Carpenter, but it’s not nearly as depressing as one may think. Fear not, we get the usual Avett-esque upbeat, banjo-riddled, quirky tunes, but this album is way more than a thematically juxtaposed piece of work. The Carpenter, more than any Avetts album to date, gives listeners more insight into these guys’ souls than ever before, and that’s what it’s all about. This album, the seventh full-length disc, is nothing if not an impressive compilation; an album full of well-crafted songs that explore life, death and all that lies in-between in a way only the Avett Brothers can.

The Avett Brothers, a folk-rock  group with an eclectic musical background that includes bluegrass, grunge-pop and punk, are officially comprised of brothers Scott (vocals/banjo) and Seth (vocals/guitar) and Bob Crawford (bass/backup vocals); adding members Joe Kwon on cello in 2007 and drummer Jacob Edwards. Scott’s voice, rich, gritty and effectively emote-driven, combined with younger brother Seth’s slightly higher, more melted butter-like vocals are what really make this album and this band. The Carpenter, the second Avetts album produced by industry genius Rick Rubin, is perhaps The Avett Brothers’ most grown-up, solid and lyrically powerful production to date.

Though the Rubin-produced The Carpenter doesn’t shy away from the loveable, catchy, hook-filled tunes, the songs as a whole are a developed version of what we’ve come to expect and appreciate from this band. From sweet ballads to contemplative, dark tunes that can best be described as an exploration of the human condition, to songs full of reflection, realization, sadness and joy, this album has it all. This first cut off the new disc, “The Once and Future Carpenter,” is one not only driven by Scott’s pure, confiding, one-of-a kind baritone, but is lyrically relatable, gorgeous and conveys what The Avett Brothers do best right off the bat. The melodious and reflective fourth track, “Pretty Girl from Michigan” stays true to the “Pretty Girl” series that has been an Avetts staple since their first full length album; poetic odes to love lost, gained or at times imagined. “Down With the Shine,” a banjo-filled number, is analytical, cynical and full of frustration, yet is a song that speaks to anyone that has ever climbed out of that darkness and made it to a place of appreciation and recognition of this life.

The Carpenter has a cohesiveness and maturity to it that Avett Brothers’ albums in the past did not have, surely a homage to the fact these North Carolina babes have evolved (musically and otherwise) themselves over the years. The Avett Brothers are more than musicians, they create poetry from the soul, building songs that illuminate and explore the human experience. The Carpenter is an album so masterfully pieced together and clearly is the result of much hard work, love and several years of just living life.

Official video for “Live and Die” off The Carpenter: