The always mysterious Sturgill Simpson is letting fans in everything he’s been cooking up lately.
A recent interview with Relix Magazine, Sturgill went deep into his phenomenal Cuttin’ Grass project, his Sound & Fury album, and he even detailed some of his upcoming plans.
And as it turns out, his next album is nearly done.
“I’m already pretty much done writing my next record now.”
But when asked if it was going to be anything like his Cuttin’ Grass project, which was recorded and released in a matter of weeks, Sturgill said that it was going to be the complete opposite:
“No, I’m gonna take my sweet-ass time on this one because I’m pretty sure I’m about to make my opus and then bow out and vaporize like Houdini.
I’ve put out three records in about a year, so I feel like I owe myself, and the music, a little space to really hunker down with the subject matter. That’s really all I can say, but I’m going to take my time because, for so many reasons, I finally have the time.
That’s the bittersweet thing. What monumentally has been the shittiest, strangest, most surreal year of my lifetime has also been the most gratifying and greatest year of my career.”
Sturgill has said in the past that he is going to release 5 albums and then be done with it, and for the most part, aside from side-projects like the Cuttin’ Grass collection, it sounds like he might be sticking to that.
And after this next one does come out, whenever that may be, it sounds like Sturgill is fixin’ to disappear off into the sunset. Although, he adds that he is still interested in producing records for artists like Tyler Childers and Margo Price (or maybe even that Post Malone live-instrument record he was talking about).
“At a certain point, I don’t want to say I’ll never make another record, but this five-album narrative was really clear when I moved to Nashville. My wife really helped me carve that out, in terms of how to go about the beginning, middle and end for each chapter. But then after that, I am not sure.
I love the studio. I like sleeping in my bed. I like seeing other people succeed. And I really love helping other people succeed—people like Tyler or Margo or Lucette or anybody else who would be willing to work with me.
I can’t think of any other greater way to use the knowledge or experience—or whatever you want to call it—that I’ve gained from the last seven or eight years, then by helping other people who I’m already impressed with make more music that will improve the musical landscape, as opposed to just 20 more Sturgill records.”
Anything Sturgill has his hands on, is something I’m going to be interested in. New album, side project, an album he produced… steamy, sleazy, psychedelics rock record… all of it.
In the mean time, how about a look back at that first bluegrass Ryman concert that kicked this whole thing off.
