These United States was[1] an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, and Carrboro, North Carolina,[2] made up of songwriter and bandleader Jesse Elliott, pedal steel and keyboardist J. Tom Hnatow,[3] guitarist Justin Craig, bassist and vocalist Anna Morsett, and drummer and percussionist Aaron Latos.

[26] The accompanying album tour included supporting dates with Fruit Bats, Deer Tick, Langhorne Slim, and Bonnie Prince Billy, and continuing acclaim from The New York Times,[27] Pop Matters,[28] and The Washington Post.

[29] Among its 180 live performances of the year were stops at Seattle's KEXP;[30] Daytrotter's Barn On the 4th[31] with The Walkmen, Dawes, and Justin Townes Earle; La Blogotheque's Take-Away Show;[32] and NPR's World Cafe[33] and Mountain Stage.

[34] 2011 saw These United States scale back its frenetic touring pace to just 100 shows and festivals, as the band spent more time writing and recording in studios in Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ontario.

In 2012, the group released its fifth album — the eponymously titled These United States — featuring contributions from Deer Tick, Phosphorescent, Langhorne Slim, Frontier Ruckus, The Mynabirds, Cotton Jones, Revival, Ben Sollee, Backwords, and Jukebox the Ghost, and co-produced at Shangri-La Studios by Duane Lundy, Justin Craig, and Jesse Elliott.