For a while there, it seemed like Kentucky rockers My Morning Jacket might well have called it quits, so focused were all their respective components on their own side projects and other pursuits. Even when new My Morning Jacket material appeared, as with last year’s The Waterfall II (the followup to 2015’s The Waterfall), it was composed of recordings from sessions made in 2013 that also yielded its predecessor. 

The thing is, you wouldn’t have begrudged the band for deciding to bow out now. Their back catalogue shines with classics including their scintillating 1999 debut The Tennessee Fire, and over the years they’d gained a reputation as a truly thrilling and intense live act. With lead singer and guitarist Jim James and his bandmates now in their forties, perhaps the time did seem right to pursue other avenues for their creative talents.

Except, that’s not how things panned out. Instead a run of live dates before the pandemic inspired them to start writing again, resulting in this, their self-titled ninth studio album. And for fans, it’s a joyous return, full of the kind of rootsy psychedelia that made them so captivating to begin with. Love Love Love shimmers, while Never In The Real World builds up steam from it’s gentle intro before exploding into a riot of guitars and crashing drums. Complex is a skidding rock affair, while album closer I Never Could Get Enough is sparse, tender, and heartbreaking. It’s a record that reflects all sides of their songwriting clout.

And it’s not just sonically that My Morning Jacket has channeled that creativity. Lead single Regularly Scheduled Programming is accompanied by a video co-directed by James. Speaking about the video on the band’s official website, James said: "I have always wanted to get more into creating motion pictures so it was a real thrill to write my first video treatment and then bring it to life co-directing it with George Mays. 

“I hope it makes folks stop and think about how much time and space our phones/devices are eating up in our lives and ultimately tell the people they love how much they love them while they can... and also to get out and spend more time in nature!" 

My Morning Jacket tracklist:

1. Regularly Scheduled Programming
2. Love Love Love
3. In Color
4. Least Expected
5. Never In The Real World
6. The Devil’s In The Details
7. Lucky To Be Alive
8. Complex
9. Out Of Range, Part Two
10. Penny For Your Thoughts
11. I Never Could Get Enough

Watch the official video for Regularly Scheduled Programming here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.