“When I started writing for this record I had a goal of getting my practice back": Margaret Glaspy to return with fourth album, I Am Both

I Am Both follows a period of Glaspy stepping away from social media completely, and will be her first full-length release since her 2023 album, Echo the Diamond. "Michigan" arrives today as the first preview of the new collection of songs, as Glaspy's "post-breakup escape to the Midwest".

Speaking about the inspiration behind the single, Glaspy shares: “I was in Michigan a couple years back and had a really beautiful time, and thought about how New Yorkers sometimes fantasize about the countryside as a retreat from the intensity of the city. It turned into a song about someone going through a bad breakup, and then deciding to just leave the city behind.”

I Am Both came together through live sessions at Reservoir Studios in New York City with rummer/percussionist Jay Bellerose (Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss), keyboardist Patrick Warren (Tracy Chapman, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen), and bassist Ross Gallagher (Paula Cole, Grails). The album was produced by Joe Henry, who is credited for his work with Joan Baez, Aimee Mann, and more.

Speaking about her approach to the album and experience of distancing from social media, Glaspy explains: “When I started writing for this record I had a goal of getting my practice back - to walk the walk in terms of how I envision myself as a songwriter. At first it was really hard to break that addiction to social media, but after a while something shifted. It felt like I’d gotten back to original thought instead of being under the influence of so many outside opinions. It was life-changing.”

I Am Both artwork

I Am Both tracklist

"Michigan"
"Reminder"
"That Rose"
"I Thought She Was A Song"
"Petty"
"Common Ground"
"James and Marie"
"Martin Luther King Jr."
"Sharp Knife"
"Wildest Dreams"
"I Am Both"