It's only been two years since Kacey Musgraves released the smooth, pretty, wellness-oriented Deeper Well, but I could have sworn it was three or four. I guess it feels longer because that album glided past me, whereas prior Musgraves full-lengths took over my life for a while. Maybe this new one will get its hooks in me!
On May Day, Musgraves will return with Middle Of Nowhere, her sixth LP (seventh if you count the Christmas album). She once again co-produced it with longtime collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. The features list is exciting: Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings, and Gregory Alan Isakov. As for the title, it's a reference to a sign in Musgraves' tiny Texas hometown that reads "Golden, TX: Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere." But as she explains, it took on different thematic resonance:
The bulk of this record was made during the longest single period of my life, and I found that for the first time, it actually felt incredible being alone and existing in a space not defined by anyone else. I became fascinated with the concept of liminal space, both geographical and emotional. We don’t linger in these transitional, empty spaces long enough and rush to define where or whatever is next. I became so at ease with being in the “middle of nowhere” in many senses and sitting in the un-comfort of the undefined. I had a lot of time for creative ambling and leaning into myself in different ways; horses, humor, writing with my early collaborators again, and living out my very simple, inspired life between Texas, Tennessee, and Mexico.
Middle Of Nowhere is Musgraves' first album since shifting from MCA Nashville to the newly relaunched prestige Americana imprint Lost Highway, a move that occasioned a cover of Hank Williams' "Lost Highway" last spring. She's since teamed up with regional Mexican star Carín León on "Lost In Translation" and placed "If The World Burns Down" on the soundtrack for Netflix's Nobody Wants This. Now we get a proper lead single.
That song is "Dry Spell," a quite clever tune crafted with her old Same Trailer, Different Park compatriots Shane McAnally, Luke Laird, and Josh Osbourne. Last week Musgraves retweeted a post of hers from last April that reads, "Is it possible to die from horniness? Asking for a friend," setting the stage for a song all about going too long without a good shagging. In a bit of savvy thematic resonance, the production is so dry that you can practically see tumbleweeds rolling through. The lyrics follow suit as Musgraves understatedly rolls out one innuendo after another. By design, it's not the kind of song that bashes you over the head, but I've just listened to it like 10 times in a row, so I'd say she's doing something right.
Musgraves and Hannah Lux Davis directed the "Dry Spell" video, which you can watch below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Middle Of Nowhere"
02 "Dry Spell"
03 "Back On The Wagon"
04 "I Believe In Ghosts"
05 "Abilene"
06 "Coyote" (Feat. Gregory Alan Isakov)
07 "Loneliest Girl"
08 "Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy" (Feat. Billy Strings)
09 "Horses And Divorces" (Feat. Miranda Lambert)
10 "Uncertain, Texas" (Feat. Willie Nelson)
11 "Rhinestoned"
12 "Mexico Honey"
13 "Hell On Me"
Middle Of Nowhere is out 5/1 via Lost Highway.
