Today, North Carolina based indie-Americana folk quartet Mipso announce their propulsive sixth studio album Book of Fools, due out August 25. The album is available to pre-order on vinyl now here. Alongside the announcement, the band shares the first taste of the project with "Carolina Rolling By" out everywhere now. The track acts as an ode to driving through their home state and discovering beauty that exists alongside pain. Plus, the band will hit the road on a lengthy tour across North America beginning in Portsmouth, NH on August 17 with tickets on sale now via mipsomusic.com/tour.

Book of Fools, out August 25, sees the band at their most assured, guided mostly by their own intuition and less impacted by time constraints, expectations or outside forces. Over ten cohesive tracks, driving rhythms, earnest, thoughtful lyricism guide the band back to their roots and who they are at their core. As guitarist and vocalist Joseph Terrell puts it, "'Book of Fools' feels more relaxed, more confident, more us – like we’re wearing our favorite clothes and telling our favorite story and it feels exciting again.” There's a fresh, solid confidence and profound understanding of one another that radiates through the music. It's this palpable connection that can only come from this group playing together around the world several hundreds of times and it's here they rediscover their joy and unmatched connection as musicians and as best friends.

Out today, "Carolina Rolling By" is a relaxed, country-tinged groove that tells the story of a down-and-out pill-popping truck driver trying to get back on his feet. Written in part as a love letter to driving around their home state, Mipso's signature layered, poignant harmonies paint a vibrant portrait of the view out of the driver's window–the deep, clear blue sky with the sun beating down and the crisp air floating by. Terrell says the song came about after a boating accident that led to him needing to take painkillers during recovery. Similar to previous Mipso releases, the track finds beauty in pain and allowed Terrell the space to craft the ode to driving through North Carolina that he's always wanted to make. It was during his recovery that the song materialized. Terrell says with a fresh understanding of the power of pills, "I couldn’t walk for 12 days but I had my grandma’s guitar and some hydrocodone and worked on this song I think because I fully understood for the first time how anyone could get addicted to those."

Formed in 2012, Mipso began as a pastime between classes in Chapel Hill, NC. Made up of Joseph Terrell (guitar/vocals), Jacob Sharp (mandolin/vocals), Wood Robinson (bass/vocals) and Libby Rodenbough (fiddle/vocals), the group blends their music-filled upbringings and captivating harmonies to create a sound all their own with tinges of the timeless musical traditions of their home state and hints of jazz, strings, and old Americana. Mipso's acclaimed debut album Dark Holler Pop, produced by Andrew Marlin (Watchhouse), arrived in 2013 and quickly turned the recent grads into a full-fledged touring band and solidified the group as one to watch. With 2015's groovier, poppier Old Time Reverie, Mipso earned a spot at the the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a number one spot on Billboard's Bluegrass chart, and honed their sound as they deepened their near-telepathic musical and on stage connection.

The band's Brad Cook-produced (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee) 2017 effort Coming Down the Mountain, expanded their sound with drums, bass and a pedal steel. This refined, elevated sound resulted in a wildly popular title track and landed them on Rolling Stone's 10 New Country Artists You Need To Know list. Just when the band wasn't sure if five years of near-constant touring was something they'd wish to continue, 2018's Edges Run took off and eliminated any doubt. It spawned an instant fan favorite in "People Change" which has garnered over 104M+ streams on Spotify alone. PopMatters encouraged listeners to, "Let its tried-and-true virtues—from intricate harmonies to magnetic musicianship to splendid storytelling—soak in before feeling an emotional rush that you’ll want to experience again and again." The band's self-titled, fifth album arrived in 2020 where the band explores the trauma of a near-fatal car accident and find refuge and healing in each other with a moodier, more experimental soundscape. Paste Magazine praised the project's warmth and their ability to find beauty, joy and harmony.

Now, in 2023, with Book of Fools on the horizon, Mipso looks to strengthen their sound and rekindle their bond yet again, led purely by their love of making music together. The band will bring the new music and longtime fan favorites on the road across North America this summer and fall beginning in Portsmouth, NH on August 17. After dates in Woodstock, NY, Richmond, VA, and Louisville, KY, the band will move through Nashville, TN followed by four dates in their home state of North Carolina. They will then move through the South throughout the end of October before making their way up through the Midwest, including Chicago, IL. By Early November, the band will make their way through Canada including Toronto, ON, Ottawa, ON and Montreal, QC. Next, Mipso will make their way back through the East Coast including Burlington, VT, Boston, MA and Brooklyn, NY before wrapping up in Philadelphia, PA on November 19.

"Carolina Rolling By," the optimal summer drive, windows-down soundtrack is out everywhere now. Mipso's sixth rich studio album, Book of Fools, is due out August 25. The album is available to pre-order on vinyl here. See Mipso live this summer and fall across North America with tickets on sale now here. Keep up with Mipso on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and stay tuned for much more to come.

Mipso

North American Tour 2023

Aug. 17 - Portsmouth, NH - Prescott Park Arts Festival

Aug. 18 - Bethlehem, NH - The Colonial Theatre

Aug. 19 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studio

Aug. 20 - Manchester Center, VT - Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots

Aug. 22 - Amagansett, NY - Stephen Talkhouse

Aug. 27 - Richmond, VA - Iron Blossom Music Festival

Sept. 14 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival

Sept. 15 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar

Sept. 21 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle

Sept. 22 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel

Sept. 23 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre

Sept. 24 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre

Oct. 21 - Chattanooga, TN - Barrel House Ballroom

Oct. 22 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn

Oct. 25 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West

Oct. 26 - Nashville, TN - Basement East

Oct. 27 - St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House

Oct. 28 - Kansas City, MO - The Bottleneck

Oct. 29 - Iowa City, IA - First Ave Club

Nov. 1 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe

Nov. 2 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

Nov. 3 - Madison, WI - High Noon

Nov. 4 - Indianapolis, IN - Hifi

Nov. 5 - Detroit, MI - The Ark (Ann Arbor)

Nov. 8 - Toronto , ON - Velvet Underground

Nov. 9 - Ottawa, ON - Red Bird Live

Nov. 10 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz

Nov. 11 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground

Nov. 12 - Portland, ME - Portland House of Music & Events

Nov. 15 - Boston, MA - Sinclair

Nov. 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Made

Nov. 17 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

Nov. 18 - Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater

Nov. 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brendas