The Avett Brothers are set out on a mission to re-establish the golden rule amongst society as they announced that they will be releasing a new album this fall. Entitled Closer Than Together,  the bluegrass group made the announcement via an Instagram post that their follow-up to 2016’s True Sadness will be dropping on October 4th through American/Republic Records.

While their previous project focused more on personal adversities, Seth Avett explained in the mission statement that was posted on their Instagram page that this project will serve as a reflection of the world’s political state while reflecting on experiences from the band themselves.

“My brother and I have never been more aware of our own failing in the department of golden-rule navigation. We see it in ourselves and we are accustomed to seeing it in our neighborhood, our state, our country, our planet. We speak daily with each other about the lunacy of the world in which we live… the beauty of it, the mystery of it, the hilarity and the unspeakable calamity of it. We talk about God and community and evil and what forgiveness is and what it means to aim for unconditional love in a land (and body) full of conditions. Sometimes we feel better just from speaking about it with a loved one. Sometimes we don’t and we go to our little bunks on the tour bus and continue to process the latest example of fear-inducing news that our phones have indiscriminately handed us.

We then simeltaneously endeavor to forgive ourselves for being in the fortunate position of having bunks in a tour bus to lie down on. In whatever way we process both personal and universally-affecting events, at some point, these conversations grow melodies and find themselves stepping back into our lives in the forms of songs.”

The Avett Brothers also released a new song “High Steppin” along with a new music video. The visuals finds Scott playing a cowboy driving a pickup truck while Seth plays a grim reaper passenger dropping life gems in the middle of the song. Watch their new music video for “High Steppin” below: