I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait another month to hear this album.
Kacey Musgraves announced last week that her fourth major label studio album Deeper Well is slated to drop on March 15th, and she also released the lead single and title track.
In my very humble opinion, that song was certainly much more in line with her first two records Same Trailer Different Park and Pageant Material than her 2021 Star-Crossed, from the standpoint of the quintessential Kacey, very honest storytelling about growing up, experiencing life, and ultimately wanting and demanding more for yourself.
While sure, there will likely be influence from the pop-leaning sound that was overpowering on the aforementioned Star-Crossed, and even heard some on her Grammy-winning Golden Hour, I do still think she is pulling more from her country roots and taking a decidedly different, softer turn this time around.
She sat down with Zane Lowe on his Apple Music 1 show to discuss the sound of this new project, and Kacey explained that her self-proclaimed “divorce album” Star-Crossed leaned into harsher, pop synths, and with Deeper Well, she focused more on softer sounds.
It was interesting that she explained there were “no punches pulled” here, and that they’re more classic-sounding songs overall:
“That album was definitely a more specific thing. It was post-divorce, it was really specific to that relationship, and it was something, creatively, that I felt like I really needed to do. And it was me playing with different harsher sounds and synths and stuff, and having fun.
That’s one side of me. I think I was craving a bit of some softer songs. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to get back to that organic wooden instrument place and just no punches pulled. Not that I ever tried to do that, I’m just saying just songs, classic songs.”
She added that during the writing and recording process, there was a deeper connection to her roots in terms of inspiration from the Americana, folk and country elements. Kacey says there’s a “warmth” in this new batch of songs that might’ve been (and in my opinion, very much was) lacking before:
“I’ve found more of a connection to my softer side, my roots, like some of the Americana, the folk, the country, some of the stuff, really the warmth of that. I felt drawn to that.
And I felt like I was in a softer place myself after ‘Star-Crossed’ and going through a divorce and doing a lot of therapy and honestly falling in love again and opening myself back up to the human experience. These songs just kind of started coming out.”
Will this be a remake of Pageant Material? I highly doubt it (sadly). Her sound has certainly evolved, but “Deeper Well” has grown on me with every listen, and I’m really looking forward to hearing the entire record.
Produced by Kacey alongside Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk and recorded at Electric Lady studio in New York City, this promises to be another evolution in her career and sound, and I have missed Kacey dearly and deeply in the country space.
Her witty, reflective and authentic songwriting is so unique and true to who she is, and when she does it right, no one else in the genre can touch her in terms of how incredibly talented and good she is. I guess all of our questions about this era and direction will be answered next month…
Definitely check out “Deeper Well” while you’re here too if you haven’t already. I’ve had it, quite literally, on repeat over the last week or so:
“Deeper Well”
Deeper Well tracklist:
1. Cardinal
2. Deeper Well
3. Too Good to be True
4. Moving Out
5. Giver / Taker
6. Sway
7. Dinner with Friends
8. Heart of the Woods
9. Jade Green
10. The Architect
11. Lonely Millionaire
12. Heaven Is
13. Anime Eyes
14. Nothing to be Scared Of
