Released in June 2019 as the lead single for their album Closer Than Together , "High Steppin'" represents a bold, experimental pivot for The Avett Brothers. While the band is traditionally rooted in acoustic folk and Americana, this track blends their signature strings with pulsating 1980s-style synths and a spoken-word interlude, creating a sonic landscape that is both catchy and intentionally jarring. Musical Composition and Contrast

🚀 "High Steppin'" serves as a mission statement for the Closer Than Together era, signaling the band’s shift toward more personal and socially conscious storytelling while refusing to be pinned down by a single musical genre.

Scott and Seth Avett share lead vocals, maintaining the brotherly harmony that has defined their nearly two-decade career. Lyrical Themes: Mortality and Choice

The video transitions from a lonely country road to a vibrant line-dancing flash mob featuring the Purple Charlotte Steppers Club , emphasizing the band's desire to mix the "fatal" with the "playful".

The accompanying music video, which features Scott driving a vintage Ford truck in a red rhinestone Nudie suit, visualizes these themes through surreal imagery.

Halfway through, the music shifts into a dramatic monologue about the "warfare" of daily life and the relentless march of time.

Seth Avett appears in the shotgun seat dressed as a skeletal "Death" figure, serving as a constant reminder of mortality even during the song's most "sunny" moments.

The song begins with a driving, upbeat tempo that Scott Avett describes as a deliberate contrast to its weightier themes. It features: