LIFE-CHANGING MUSIC: The tracks on S. Carey's upcoming album, Break Me Open, feature the singer-songwriter tackling some of the hardest occurrences in his life the past few years. (Photo by Peter Larson)

A formative Eau Claire talent is prepping one of his most introspective releases to date. 

Sean Carey (a.k.a. S. Carey) announced this week that his latest full-length studio album Break Me Open will be released on April 22 on the Jagjaguwar record label. The brand-new, 10-song album from the songwriter, producer, polymathic instrumentalist, and second longest-serving Bon Iver member is both more personal and collaborative than he could have ever predicted.

“Break Me Open is about love – past, present, and future,” Carey said in a media release. “It’s about fatherhood, the overwhelming feeling of deep love for my kids, and the melancholy of watching them grow up right before my eyes. It’s about accepting my faults and wrongdoings, exposing myself, and trying to know myself better than I did the day before. But above the darkness, it’s a message of hope, honesty, and growth. It’s a call to be vulnerable: Break Me Open.” 

In the four years since his previous album Hundred Acres, Carey has confronted some of the most difficult moments of his life amid a worldwide pandemic. In Break Me Open, Carey tackles the reality of his marriage falling apart, the passing of his father, and the growth of his children.

These experiences shook Carey to his core, he said, leaving him wondering who he was and where to go. But in a vow to stay present and vulnerable, he continued to move forward, found where the fear festered, and channeled his feelings into music. 

The lead single from the forthcoming album is the title track “Break Me Open,” which – alongside an accompanying music video by director Rudy Rubio – features S. Carey at his most stripped down and vulnerable to the tune of instantly captivating and cathartic horns from CJ Camerieri (CARM), bass and drums by Zach Hanson, and other elements by Sean himself.

There is a heaviness to human consciousness right now, a darkness at the surface. 

“Change is good. F---ing hard, but good,” Carey said. “For many, to say the last two years have been difficult would be an understatement. Stress and uncertainty about life in general, family, friends, kids, even Mother Earth has grown exponentially. There is a heaviness to human consciousness right now, a darkness at the surface.”

Alongside the release of Break Me Open, Carey will embark on a 20-show headline tour beginning in April. The tour dates will take place in between dozens of international dates with Bon Iver, including headline shows at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, Brooklyn’s Public Records, and a hometown show in Eau Claire at the Masonic Temple on Thursday, April 28. Each show will feature support from Courtney Hartman, who will also play in S. Carey’s band.

Over the past decade, S. Carey has become an essential collaborator within the Bon Iver community and beyond, contributing to Sufjan Stevens’ album Carrie & Lowell, writing and producing with Low and others, while fostering his own work through themes of nature and sustainability, jazz beginnings, and heartfelt lyricism. 

Break Me Open features Carey committing himself to a project like never before, as he welcomes more voices into his world than ever before. The album features vocal appearances by Rob Moose, Ben Lester, Jeremy Boettcher, Nick Ball, John Raymond, Chris Thomson, Eli Teplin, and Taylor Deupree. 

S. Carey’s new album promises to take listeners to sonic and heartfelt territories his audience has not yet visited with him. The inspiration for Break Me Open saw Sean at his lowest, but its release is primed to see him soar to new heights. 

Break Me Open by S. Carey is available to pre-order now, and the title track is now available on all major streaming services. Tickets for S. Carey’s headline tour go on-sale at 10am local time Friday, Feb. 11 on scary.org/shows.