Teri Bracken’s new album as Brontë Fall, Not Done Yet is about resolve and spirit and ignoring anything in the way of dreaming — even yourself. Bracken wrestles with herself throughout the album. She almost quits, she pulls herself back; she laughs at those who told her to get a more sustainable career; she curses herself for not getting a more sustainable career. Not Done Yet finds Bracken living with the heartbreak of losing her late father, while tapping into his resiliency to make her strongest album yet. The album, defiant and beautiful and mournful and triumphant, is a chronicle of a life lived exactly as Bracken wants, compromising to no one in her quest to continue building a budding and supportive scene for alt-Americana women in Nashville and around the country.

Take “Worth the Money,” a song that examines the sacrifices Bracken has made as Brontë Fall and questioning whether these choices were worth it. She sings, “If I had money, would all my troubles go away? If I had money, would it take away all the pain?” The answer is a little bit no and a little bit yes, but Bracken is too determined and too damn talented to give up on this dream.

Bracken knows that she’s on the right path because it’s one that chose her many years ago, and has continued leading her even when she’s wanted to change course. Bracken’s road to acclaimed songwriter began in childhood, when she picked up piano at age 7. Violin lessons soon followed and she spent many of her formative years in various choirs and orchestras. From there, she served as lead singer/violinist in a college rock band with a group of nineties rock loving frat boys, before ditching that scene to pursue a degree at Berklee—again for classical violin. It was at Berklee that she discovered her love of songwriting and fell in with the folk/roots scene there, which has no doubt influenced her mixed Americana/Alt-Pop sound today. Bracken eventually made her way to Nashville, where the story continues. Now, the Brontë Fall stage show finds Bracken playing violin, guitar, and piano; she always has an instrument in her hand.

 Not Done Yet is both a step forward and a retrospective of where Teri Bracken has been, both as a woman and with Brontë Fall. “It's the perspective of seven years of me hustling as a female artist in this industry that is a long held boy’s club. “On ‘Old Woman' I look at the pressure of being in my thirties and people expecting certain things out of a woman my age.”

One listen to the song, and it’s clear she’s doing exactly what she’s meant to do. The song is a slow-burning indie rock cut that highlights Bracken’s intoxicating sonic diversity. A picked guitar line and shaker percussion provide the perfect backdrop to showcase her brilliant voice. She sings: “Will I be elegant? Will the kids think I’m cool? Will I be out of touch with the ways of the world?” Bracken isn’t sure she knows the answer, but anyone listening to Not Done Yet becomes quickly convinced that Brontë Fall is at the vanguard of a vibrant, fantastic music scene.

This new era of Brontë Fall started by the stunning single “Woman Like Me,” which emerged from years in the industry that were trying and heartbreaking, but ultimately strengthened her resolve in her mission. After releasing Finishing School in 2020 and recording Winter in 2021 (released in 2022), the songwriter took some time to be with her ailing father. “Life really went off the rails. On ‘Winter,’ another single from that era, I was writing about being in a tornado. That’s what my world felt like,” Bracken explains. She’d finish tours and go visit her father in the hospital, who ultimately passed away in July 2022. It’s in his honor that this new work began. “I write. That’s how I get through life,” Bracken explains. 

That philosophy might as well be the mission statement for Teri Bracken and the Brontë Fall project. She makes music, therefore she is a musician. For Not Done Yet, Teri wanted to tap into the Live Band recording roots her sound was molded by, tapping into the early alt-rock releases of badass artists like Sheryl Crow, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile and Taylor Swift as sonic inspiration. It’s a sound that feels lived in and raw, simultaneously spontaneous and meticulously planned. Every detail is accounted for, but there’s still plenty of room for Bracken to move and direct her band off the electricity of these sessions.

Above all, Not Done Yet is a guiding light for anyone struggling to pursue their passion. Teri Bracken understands the urge to quit, and yet, she’s emerged more defiant than ever, poised for a massive moment. “I am going to do what I love and I'm creating the art I want. It would be easy to give up, because this is so incredibly hard, but I made my best album to date and I can’t wait to play it every night,” she explains. “Even if it's hard, I’m gonna keep going. I can’t stop. I love it too damn much.”