There's a cool, clean strum that introduces 'Watercress'. An

immediately noticeable shift in mood from the last time we

checked in with S. Carey. He was heavy-hearted on 2022's

'Break Me Open' - crestfallen and reckoning after a big love

lost. And so, 'Watercress' sets us off with the ringing of

hard-won hope. It is in fact only in the clear, shallow waters

that watercress grows. And these are the very places that

Sean Carey the human being returns to again and again -

to fish, to reflect, and to grow. Seasons have passed over

and he's spent time healing in the water, flowing and still.

The pieces have been collected and reassembled. Of course,

there's always gonna be a wistful quality to S. Carey's music.

But here, it's the bright, crisp October morning kind of

wistful.

These guitar-forward songs are in many ways an extension

of 2018's beloved 'Hundred Acres.' The guitars are driving

the bus. The drums are the backbone. And Sean's voice is

telling the tale. Seems like a simple recipe but there's more

nuance here than highwire act. Recorded at Hive in Eau

Claire by Zach Hanson and Brian Joseph, there's the usual

cast of characters providing instrumentation and co-writes

when needed, and guest singers Gia Margaret and Hannah

Hebl blending into the fabric beautifully to create a sound

that's familiar to S. Carey, almost nostalgic - but also shiny

and new.

Sean Carey has been a vital organ of Justin Vernon's Bon

Iver project for over fifteen years. Beginning with 2010's 'All

We Grow,' his four albums and some epic EPs have all been,

in ways both overt and subtle, naturalistic explorations of

landscapes of the heart and of the real world, each crafted

with the patience of a true fisherman and the acumen of a

folk-jazz phenom.