4th of July

“I didn’t have to do this,” says Carl Broemel, referring to his new solo album, 4th of July, as a member of My Morning Jacket, Broemel spent the past few years working rock ’n’ roll hours (that is to say, 24/7) with his bandmates to help establish MMJ as one of the best live rock bands currently in the game. Their combined efforts proved successful.

But something stirred within him and during lulls between album and tour cycles, when he could’ve opted to vacation or catch up on sleep, Broemel instead booked studio sessions in Nashville and, over a four year span of these tiny windows, recorded the sprawling collection of songs that form 4th of July. Recorded over different periods of Broemel’s life, the songs point to a soulful awareness of inner life and the passage of time – thoughts that ponder their own reflection, marveling perhaps at how different our lives look now from the engrained images of ourselves that we’ve held onto from an earlier time.

“Broemel cycles through one buttery solo after another, each richer and more textured than the last.” – Pitchfork

“4th of July is a stunning record – or more accurately, a beautiful compilation of short stories”. – The Revue

“Broemel’s musicianship is just as impressive and sophisticated as might be expected from someone named one of Rolling Stone’s ‘New Guitar Gods.'” – Consequence of Sound

“Very pretty folk song that sounds like a nice combination of Bright Eyes, Elliott Smith, and Carrie And Lowell-era Sufjan Stevens” – Stereogum