“A Heart That Never Closes,” the new song from Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart, is out today. Listen/share HERE. The track is the latest unveiled from the trio’s first collaborative album, Looking For The Thread, which will be released January 24 via Thirty Tigers (pre-order/pre-save here).
In celebration of the project, the trio will play six shows in the U.K. in March, including sold-out dates in Sunderland and Edinburgh. “An Evening with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, and Karine Polwart” will feature tracks from the new album, as well as songs from across their respective catalogues, accompanied by their transatlantic band. Full details can be found at www.marychapincarpenter.com.
Conceived in the remote west of Scotland and recorded at the renowned Real World studios, Looking For The Thread is a rich, resonant and unique record—one that supports and illuminates the core characteristics of each artist while bringing forth a powerful collective identity.
Produced by Bonny Light Horseman’s Josh Kaufman (Bob Weir, The National), the 10-track album features a world-class musical ensemble: Rob Burger (piano, organ, accordion, keys), Chris Vatalaro (drums, percussion), Cameron Ralston (bass) and Kaufman himself (guitar, keys), as well as additional contributions from Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh, whose work has been featured in The Gloaming, productions at the Abbey Theatre and in the film Brooklyn.
Looking For The Thread is grounded in mutual respect stretching back decades, as Polwart and Fowlis are dedicated fans of Carpenter while Carpenter, in turn, has long admired the pair. After first setting up a Dropbox to share ideas remotely, the three convened in January 2023 to perform alongside Robert Vincent at Song Circle, an event at Celtic Connections in Glasgow. From there, they headed north to a writing retreat at Kinlochmoidart House, where Looking For The Thread was born.
“That first visit to Kinlochmoidart helped us feel that we had some things that might serve us,” says Carpenter. “We’d gather in the beautiful room where the fire was, play and sing together, and then go off to our little corners and work on stuff on our own, come back together, and get to the next step.”
The album, which features two tracks sung in Scottish Gaelic (led by Fowlis), was completed in a week at Real World studios, where the songs were recorded live—everyone playing together in the same room. “The songs hadn’t been pre-produced to within an inch of their lives, and the band hadn’t heard them in advance,” says Polwart. “The musicians were such attentive listeners, none of them overplaying, all of them bringing a beautiful textural quality. There was something really beautiful and fresh about it.”
About Mary Chapin Carpenter:
One of music’s “most reliable and empathetic songwriters” (Pitchfork), Carpenter has sold over 16 million records over the course of her renowned career. With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” she has won five Grammy Awards (with 18 nominations), two CMA Awards, two ACM Awards and is one of only fifteen female members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Additionally, Carpenter’s record, One Night Lonely (Live), was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. A rare solo performance, the album was recorded at Virginia’s legendary Wolf Trap and features songs from across her acclaimed career, including from her latest studio album, The Dirt And The Stars. Most recently, Carpenter unveiled her new podcast, “Hope is a Muscle,” which finds Carpenter in conversation with people from all walks of life.
About Karine Polwart:
Karine Polwart is a multi-award-winning Scottish songwriter, folk-singer and storyteller, whose words and music conjure the connected magic and mystery of worlds, seen and unseen. Across numerous solo albums, collaborative projects, theatre shows and flights of imagination, Polwart has established herself as one of the most vital voices in Scottish music.
About Julie Fowlis:
Julie Fowlis is an internationally renowned, award-winning singer whose extraordinary voice evokes the power and beauty of the Hebridean islands and Highland landscapes she calls home. Among her many and varied achievements, she will forever be recognized for singing the theme songs to Brave, Disney Pixar’s Oscar-, Golden Globe- and BAFTA-winning animated film.
LOOKING FOR THE THREAD TRACK LIST
Gradh Geal Mo Chridhe
A Heart That Never Closes
Rebecca
Looking For The Thread
Hold Everything
Silver In The Blue
You Know Where You Are
Satellite
Buidheann Mo Chridhe Clann Ualrig
Send Love
CONFIRMED 2025 TOUR DATES
March 2—Manchester, U.K.—Aviva Studios
March 3—Birmingham, U.K.—Town Hall
March 5—London, U.K.—London Palladium
March 6—Sunderland, U.K.—The Fire Station (SOLD OUT)
March 7—Edinburgh, U.K.—Festival Theatre (SOLD OUT)
March 8—Edinburgh, U.K.—Festival Theatre
