22 April, 2022Print
S. Carey Releases Break Me Open, First Album in Four Years Out Now on Jagjaguwar
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Today, S. Carey releases his fourth album, and first in four years: Break Me Open. As illustrated in his glorious new Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, performed from a kitchen island in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this collection of music is Carey's most communal, collaborative and candid to date, even while singing and reflecting on a series of intensely intimate experiences. From the pain of his marriage falling apart, to the loss of his father, to the bittersweet pride of his children growing up amidst the uncertainty of life, family and Mother Earth, S. Carey defies the darkness through 10 songs about love, fear, fatherhood and the attempt to know oneself better than the day before.
On the title track he offers "a look forward with gratitude and humbleness" (NPR Music). On standouts like "Sunshower" he finds "billowing bliss...as he surrenders to the unexplainable beauty of a deep connection" (The New York Times). It "blooms into something extremely pretty and textured" (Stereogum), and throughout the album, "as layer builds upon layer – keys, harmonies, horns – so does Carey's confidence" (Consequence of Sound).
Listen to Break Me Open, Out Everywhere on Jagjaguwar:
https://s-carey.ffm.to/break-me-open
Watch S. Carey and his band debut new arrangements of Break Me Open's "Paralyzed," "Where I Was" and "Island" – plus fan favorite "Rose Petals," from 2018's Hundred AcresLP – in the latest installment of NPR Music's Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts: HERE
For more than a decade, songwriter, producer and multi-talented instrumentalist S. Carey has been an essential part of the Bon Iver community and beyond, contributing to Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell, writing and producing with Low and others. On Break Me Open he widens his own world up to include more co-writers and collaborators than ever before. Though he can be heard on synthesizers, piano, harmonium, drums and guitar throughout, additional contributions come from album engineers and co-producers Chris Messina and Zach Hanson, guiding light Brian Joseph, plus strings by Rob Moose, horns by CJ Camerieri (aka CARM), and more from Ben Lester, Jeremy Boettcher, Eli Teplin, Taylor Deupree and others.
As documented in videos for "Waking Up" and "Sunshower," Break Me Open was primarily recorded against breathtaking backdrops in an oftentimes snowy Eau Claire, WI, and a studio in the oceanside forest of Gualala, CA. Like all of his previous work, Carey continues to foster his songs through themes of nature, sustainability and the great outdoors, no matter how internal the source of inspiration may seem.
Today, a solo rendition of "Paralyzed" is available exclusively on Bandcamp as part of the EarthPercent x Earth Day campaign. For the next two weeks, sales of the track will contribute to EarthPercent's Grantmaking Fund, supporting the most impactful organizations addressing the climate emergency. Check out the special new version of "Paralyzed" here.
S. Carey just wrapped the first leg of Bon Iver shows for 2022, and beginning next week he will bring the music of Break Me Open on a headline tour across the country. Find all 20+ dates below, and tickets at scarey.org/shows.
Break Me Open Tracklist
Dark
Starless
Sunshower
Island
Waking Up
Desolate
Paralyzed
Where I Was
Break Me Open
Crestfallen
S. Carey 2022 Tour Dates
4/28 - Eau Claire, WI - Masonic Temple
4/30 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
5/1 - Detroit, MI - Marble Bar
5/3 - Toronto, ON - The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
5/4 - Montréal, QC - Bar Le 'Ritz' P.D.B.
5/5 - Somerville, MA - Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre
5/6 - Holyoke, MA - Race Street Live
5/8 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records
5/11 - Philadelphia, PA - The Lounge at World Cafe Live
5/12 - Washington, DC - Miracle Theatre
5/13 - Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
5/14 - Milwaukee, WI - Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
5/16 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
7/15 - Vancouver, BC - The Fox Cabaret
7/16 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
7/17 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
7/19 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club
7/20 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
7/22 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
7/23 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
7/25 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall
7/26 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
9/16 - LaCrosse, WI - Mid West Music Fest
All dates with Courtney Hartman
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For more information, contact Matt Hanks or Greg Jakubik at Shore Fire Media,
(718) 522-7171