Brandi Carlile has officially announced her first solo album in four years, Returning to Myself, due out on October 24.
The 11-time Grammy winner revealed the album’s details alongside the release of its title track and accompanying music video, directed by Floria Sigismondi. This marks Carlile’s first release since 2021’s In These Silent Days and follows her collaborative album with Elton John earlier this year, Who Believes in Angels?
Produced by Carlile in collaboration with Andrew Watt, Aaron Dessner (The National), and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), the album will be released via Interscope and Lost Highway, the latter being a newly revived Americana imprint under the Universal Music Group umbrella.
The album’s 10-track list includes new songs such as “Joni” — a tribute to Carlile’s longtime friend and musical icon Joni Mitchell — and “You Without Me,” a re-recorded version of a track that appeared on her duet project with Elton John. Other songs featured on the album include “A Woman Oversees,” “Anniversary,” “Church & State,” “No One Knows Us,” and “A Long Goodbye.”
Carlile recorded portions of the album with Dessner at Long Pond Studio in New York’s Hudson Valley and with Watt at Henson Studios in Los Angeles. Vernon, credited as a fourth producer, contributed vocals to “A War With Time” and played multiple instruments across the album. Additional musical support comes from the Hanseroth Twins, SistaStrings, drummers Matt Chamberlain and Chad Smith, and keyboardist Josh Klinghoffer.
Describing the sonic and emotional direction of the record, Carlile referenced Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball as a guiding influence, calling it a defining moment of artistic identity. She explained that Returning to Myself similarly represents a personal and introspective journey — stepping away from her high-profile collaborative work to reconnect with her own voice.
In a statement about the title track, Carlile reflected on the concept of solitude, togetherness, and the tension between independence and connection. “Returning to myself is not just a lonely, but a painfully boring thing to do,” she admitted, before emphasizing the emotional richness found in shared silence and human closeness. “Togetherness has given me everything I love about being alive,” she added.
Returning to Myself will be available digitally and in physical formats on October 24.
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