Carlotta Schmidt has made their most personal record yet. The New Jersey-based singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer just released their sophomore album ‘Overthinker’, a self-written and self-produced 10-track set that maps a life in transition. It’s an intimate, ambitious leap that puts Schmidt’s full creative vision on display. The album blends jazz-inspired acoustic rock with emotionally charged storytelling, and it lands as a striking step forward.
The title says plenty about where it came from. “This is an album about thinking. Lots of thinking. Perhaps over-thinking,” Schmidt explains. “My life changed so much between my first and second albums. I came out, I experienced devastating loss, I worked with heroes… everything that was happening was constantly swirling around my head.” The songs move through love, grief, anxiety, longing, identity, and transformation.
Schmidt wrote the whole thing alone over roughly four months, composing on a 1979 Guild D55 acoustic guitar, often in quiet solitude on their bedroom floor. They produced it too, holding tight to a clear vision. “I had a very clear vision in my head for every aspect of the album. I spent hours reworking mixes, arrangements, and every small detail,” they said. “I loved the independence of being my own producer. I found it to be a very empowering and rewarding experience.”
The record draws serious firepower around that vision. Schmidt’s band The Bold features guitarist Mike Flynn, bassist Paul Avrutin, and drummer Lee Finkelstein of the original Blues Brothers Band, joined by guest cellist Dave Eggar (Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Norah Jones) and violinist Lyris Hung (Beyoncé, Quincy Jones, Indigo Girls). Hung’s involvement meant a lot to Schmidt, a longtime admirer of her Indigo Girls work. “I didn’t think she would say yes,” Schmidt shares. “But she did. And working with her was unforgettable.” It’s a richly layered set that rewards close listening.
Several tracks anchor the album’s emotional core. “Let Me Be Me” is an anthem of identity and self-acceptance, its video featuring 67 participants from around the world holding lyric cards in a message of unity and queer visibility. “I Just Want To Talk To You” pays tribute to Schmidt’s late mentor of ten years, the only track to gather the full ensemble of The Bold, Eggar, and Hung. “Oyster and Pearl” pairs lap steel and violin, while “Woman Crush Wednesday” turns up the energy and “Rosalie” marks Schmidt’s first collaboration with Hung.
Schmidt has built real momentum along the way. They’ve played The Bitter End in New York and New Jersey landmarks like The Stone Pony and The Wonder Bar, and shared stages with 11-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile and jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis. In 2024 they created the Lilith Fair-inspired Fourth Wave Fest, raising thousands for a nonprofit supporting domestic violence survivors, and they’ve since earned an Emerging Artist Grant from the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation and a 2026 Asbury Park Music Awards nomination.
‘Overthinker’ Track Listing:
Since You Never Asked
Woman Crush Wednesday
I Just Want To Talk To You
Let Me Be Me
Oyster and Pearl
Brother
Dream of You
Rosalie
Now I Don’t Miss You Anymore
Two Steps Forward, Twenty Back