North Carolina’s beloved quartet, Mipso, reintroduce themselves with the release of their sixth studio album. The titular entrance, released October 16 via Rounder Records, marks a reunion of sorts, an arrival at cohesion between each member and their personal lives.
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“We have a pretty cool name, and we’ve never used it to our advantage,” mandolinist Jacob Sharp laughs, then continues with more intent. “You only get one shot at a self-titled album. This one marks a new, more stable phase for us. We have learned to be honest with each other and are in a more comfortable place, interpersonally—I think you can hear that.”
Sharp, along with bassist Wood Robinson, fiddler Libby Rodenbough, and guitarist Joseph Terrell celebrate their individual contributions in the ceremonious new album. Every band member is a master of their own songwriting craft, delivering differing lyrical approaches that expand their artistry’s previous bounds. As friends and cohorts, Mipso does not delegate traditional roles within the troupe. Instead, they operate with four rotating band leads.
Mipso was recorded primarily at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina, in the summer of 2019 with some overdubs at the Rubber Room in Chapel Hill and the studio of their engineer Mark Goodell in Brooklyn, New York.
The 12-track collection is a debut of sorts, but Mipo’s identity is inherently rooted in regional music traditions. At its very core, the lush soundscape is reminiscent of their early Bluegrass-driven work, dating back to 2013’s Dark Holler Pop. Behind tantalizing production stand pillars of folk that guide instrumentation in a familiar direction. Mipso is not so much a departure as it is a sonic excursion for the band.
Sandro Perri’s velvety production softens the string band’s creaks and whines, expanding their genre bounds. Playful percussion from their longtime touring drummer Yan Westerlund transforms folk tunes into hypnotic charmers. It’s light, without being lighthearted. The lyrical content holds a weight commensurate with the current moment. The lofty tone contrasts with the songs’ subject in a way that Sharp feels “fits the vibe” of 2020.
“It’s almost like a joke; the delivery is important to keeping people’s attention,” he says.
Album opener, “Never Knew You Were Gone,” clings to mortal imagery to describe Terrell’s brush with “the other side” after a near-fatal car accident the band endured after releasing their latest album, Edges Run, in 2018. Beyond Terrell’s self-contemplation is the story of a commensurate and tumultuous pivot for the band. Somewhere between shock, trauma, and gratitude, Mipso re-committed to the challenge of collaborative creation.
Each of the ensuing songs builds from the next, displaying personal growth. The sequencing feels like a final resting point for the narrative.
“Hey, Coyote” explores refuge, whether physical or relational—growing ever-important in the pandemic context. “Hourglass” deals with the constructs of time and calls into question the “best practices” on which society is propped. Insecurity speaks through the healing single, “Your Body,” which Rodenbough says feels personal.
“Let A Little Light In” is a dynamic exhibition of their spirited production approach. The curious song illuminates childhood memories with the clarity adulthood offers.
The politically charged finale pokes holes in the deceit and ignorance of the impending doom following the climate crisis. “Wallpaper Baby” references pitiful attempts to cover-up the inevitable collapse of a planet being destroyed by corporate greed and political inaction.
“These songs are full of frustration and alienation and wistfulness, but they don’t come from drowning out the noise of the world. They come from getting better at listening to it and learning to translate it,” says Terrell. “I hope they can give people a bit of insight into the problems we’ve worked out among ourselves, and the love that we have for each other.”
Since its formation, the members of Mipso have made solo voyages. Robinson released a solo project, Wood Robinson’s New Formal, in 2016. Rodenbough released Spectacle Of Love earlier this year. Terrell recently recorded a new project with his brother.
It’s a new beginning for Mipso, who accepted a challenge with fortitude. Listen to their eponymous debut here.
