Yes, you’re reading this correctly: the Avett Brothers have teamed with eclectic Faith No More/Mr. Bungle vocalist Mike Patton to form AVTT/PTTN, whose self-titled debut album will be released Nov. 14 through Thirty Tigers in association with Ramseur Records and Ipecac Recordings. The lead single, “Eternal Love,” can be sampled below.
The musicians are said to be longtime mutual fans of one another and birthed the nine-song effort by trading ideas from coast to coast. “Mike’s part of our DNA, like the fabric of our youth,” says Scott Avett. “Literally, we studied him. He’s a dear friend now, but when we were younger, I was imitating him.”
Adds Patton, “My peculiar challenge in this was to become a long distant cousin. A brother that was orphaned. Maybe they kept him in the chicken coop or some shit. They brought him out years and years later.”
AVTT/PTTN was produced by Patton, Scott Avett and engineer Dana Nielsen. It runs the gamut from the Avett Brothers’ stripped-down folk/roots sound to something more propulsive and unusual, as heard on songs such as “Heaven’s Breath” and “The Ox Driver’s Song.” “This is what art is,” says Scott Avett. “This is what making is supposed to be: in secret and with no ambition.”
There’s no word yet whether AVTT/PTTN will perform the new material live, but for now, the Avetts have a handful of fall shows on their schedule, including their bespoke Moon Crush Avett Moon festival in Miramar, Fla., on Oct. 3-5.
