There’s something I’ve always found fascinating about family bands. Maybe it’s just because I hate small talk, and the idea of having a shared, intuitive, meaningful language with family members appeals to me. Whatever the reason, I’ve continually been drawn to families who celebrate with music. Like Homer Simpson peeking in the windows of his neighbor’s house, I always imagined that families that played music together were inherently closer, more loving, and more respectful.

Those fantasies aside, some actual families make compelling music together. And you need to look no further than the Hibbs Family Band as an example of that real-deal joy. Their forthcoming sophomore release, Two Mules, was recorded at Standard Electric Recorders Co. by Damon Moon. The left of the dial, laidback Americana quartet mixes the textures and rhythms of bluegrass with an alt-rock sensibility. Two Mules builds on the family’s homespun sound, and features contributions from producer Tyler Key and percussionist/drummer Ryan Moore.

A fiddle-led instrumental, the title track showcases the same soothing and charming style that listeners have come to expect from the quartet. The jaunty old-time fiddle lines carry the melody while the band chugs along on a steady train beat. Soaked in golden light, the video cuts between modern-day images of their family farm and archival footage from the Hibbs’ vault.

“We wrote ‘Two Mules’ while visiting Aunt Clara in Missouri last summer,” says guitarist Rob Hibbs. “While there, we stumbled upon four hours of video recordings shot by the boys’ Great Uncle Walter in the 1940s on the family farm. To deepen the experience, we used the recovered footage in the music video alongside short clips of us of the present-day family farm.”

Watch/listen above.

Two Mules is out on August 28th, the same day as their Aunt Clara’s 103rd birthday. Pre-orders are available here.

Hibbs Family Band will celebrate the release of Two Mules on Sun., Sept. 17 at Hendershot’s. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.

More Info
Bandcamp:hibbsfamilyband.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @hibbsfamilyband
Instagram: @hibbsfamilyband