Carrie & Lowell was releaseD March 30 2015 in the UK and Europe and March 31 2015 in North America on Asthmatic Kitty Records. The album—named for Stevens’ mother and stepfather—WAS a return to Stevens’ folk roots. Thematically the 11 songs address life and death, love and loss, and the artist’s struggle to make sense of the beauty and ugliness of love. Carrie & Lowell was recorded by Stevens alongside Casey Foubert, Laura Veirs, Nedelle Torrisi, Sean Carey, Ben Lester and Thomas Bartlett and mixed by Stevens, Bartlett and Pat Dillet.