Northwest music superstar Brandi Carlile is celebrating the release of her anticipated new album, Returning To Myself, with an intimate homecoming performance at a venue that defines her deep connection to the Seattle music scene: Easy Street Records in the West Seattle Junction. Carlile has chosen the historic record store to host an in-store performance on Oct 24 to celebrate the album's debut. The event is already sold out, highlighting the fervor surrounding her return to personal material.

The highly anticipated Returning To Myself arrives four years after her Grammy-winning 2021 album, In These Silent Days. During that period, Carlile dedicated herself to amplifying other voices, serving as a producer for acclaimed artists like Lucius, Tanya Tucker, and Brandy Clark. She also spearheaded the efforts to bring Joni Mitchell back into the spotlight for the "Joni Jams" series, which concluded in October 2024.

The new album itself was born from an emotional transition. Carlile wrote the title track as a poem late one night in October 2024, feeling "exhausted and melancholy" in the wake of letting go of significant creative peaks. She realized she needed to "shrug off her ringmaster uniform" and turn inward. The resulting collection, named after the poem, Returning To Myself, overflows with freshness and vulnerability.

Carlile did not set out intending to write an album for herself; she viewed a trip to Upstate New York to meet co-producer Aaron Dessner as the "end of a work trip, not the beginning of my next album". However, overwhelmed by big feelings of grief and gratitude following the conclusion of the Joni journey, she retreated to Dessner’s barn and wrote the lyrics to "Returning to Myself" alone. This process established the album's ethos: asking herself, "It’s just me. What’s left?”. Carlile co-produced the album, collaborating with Dessner and Andrew Watt, combining Dessner’s "elevated level of taste and sensitivity" with Watt’s "audacity, bravery, and chaos".

A Generous Connection to Easy Street

Carlile's choice of Easy Street Records for her album launch underscores her enduring relationship with the iconic store and its owner, Matt Vaughan. This bond goes beyond performance; Carlile is known for her unexpected generosity toward the institution.

Carlile gifted Vaughan a van that she had previously retired from touring. Vaughan described the gesture as "unexpected and incredibly generous". The van was Carlile’s old touring vehicle, used during her first three tours, and it had 180,000 miles on it. Knowing Vaughan’s dedication to community outreach, she offered the van, which became a symbol of Easy Street’s role as a "hub for music, activism, and community support".

The gift proved critical, arriving after Vaughan’s own delivery van was failing during the early stages of the 2020 pandemic. The replacement van Carlile provided was used to transport gear, support pop-up events, and crucially, deliver food and supplies during COVID-related shutdowns. Vaughan famously received the vehicle for $10, a symbolic amount from Carlile and her bandmates.

It’s not widely known but Brandi also appeared at Salty’s on Alki in the late 90’s. She appeared on Thursday nights. and according to general Manager Chris Darst, “Across the Universe was her big closer. It’s the song we all looked forward to.”

The Oct 24 in-store celebration continues this meaningful history between the artist and Easy Street which is scheduled to close to the public at 5 PM to prepare for the event, with doors opening shortly after 6 PM, guaranteeing a dedicated crowd for Carlile's newest chapter.

The album is available at Easy Street Records on vinyl (with a limited number of signed copies) and on CD.