Chatham County Line have always combined traditional pop song writing with bluegrass arrangements to create a sound that is not traditional bluegrass any more than it is pop.

But it does reflect the spirit of the music for which their home state of North Carolina is known. On their latest album, Autumn, the band adds eleven new tracks to their deep catalogue. “You Are My Light,” “Jackie Boy,” and “Dark Rider,” are stand-outs.

Playing traditional string band instrumentation around a single microphone while clad in suits and ties visually projects a similar sepia-toned timelessness. “We create a product that you’re familiar with and you’ll enjoy going back to because you know what to expect. My dad ran a local hardware store years ago and I always felt like we shared that.” says Dave Wilson.

Sure enough, like a small town store, there’s no dramatic tale or sexy hook to fuel the hype machine for Autumn, the seventh studio album since the Raleigh, NC-based Chatham County Line—Wilson, John Teer (mandolin/fiddle), Chandler Holt (banjo), and Greg Readling (bass, pedal steel, piano)—coalesced in the late 1990’s.

Instead, the story behind the workmanlike group’s newest release is simple: A veteran ensemble at the top of its game sticking to its considerable strengths—poignant songwriting and inventive acoustic arrangements that draw upon a broad array of American roots influences, highlighted by trademark three- and four-part harmonies that shine throughout. But like the flat-screen televisions that now dot those bowling lanes, the quartet respects its history—from bluegrass inventor Bill Monroe to innovators like John Hartford—while remaining mindful of more modern influences, including its members’ backgrounds in rock bands.