It’s been over two years since Kacey Musgraves released her fifth studio album, Star-Crossed, which she wrote in the wake of her divorce from singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly, and which traced her complicated feelings of heartbreak and healing after the split.
Musgraves burst onto the scene with her acclaimed 2013 debut, Same Trailer Different Park, which won the Grammy for Best Country Album. 2018’s Golden Hour took home that award too, and three more, including Album of the Year. And the singer has only continued to grow her fan base, thanks to her clever lyrical wordplay and unique sound—a fusion of country and electropop. Last week, Musgraves finally announced her next LP, titled Deeper Well.
This latest chapter in Musgraves’s musical journey will arrive next month. Read on for everything we know about the project.
Deeper Well comes out March 15
After teasing the new album the night of the 66th Grammy Awards, Musgraves revealed the cover art and release date on her Instagram less than a week later.
There are actually two versions of the album cover. In one, the singer stands in a field, holding a red flower and sporting an off-the-shoulder cream cable-knit sweater. In the other, Musgraves is lying naked in the same field, her back to the camera.
“My new album, Deeper Well, is arriving March 15th,” Musgraves wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s a collection of songs I hold very dear to my heart. I hope it makes a home in all of your hearts, too.”
The track list includes 14 brand-new songs
The same day Musgraves released Deeper Well’s album art and release date, she also shared the track list in a separate post.
The slideshow began with a photo of Musgraves in a baby-blue blouse, looking down as she ties a pink scarf around her head. (Will this be the art for the back of the album? Only time will tell.)
The second slide is a graphic listing the 14 songs from Deeper Well:
- “Cardinal”
- “Deeper Well”
- “Too Good to Be True”
- “Moving Out”
- “Giver / Taker”
- “Sway”
- “Dinner With Friends”
- “Heart of the Woods”
- “Jade Green”
- “The Architect”
- “Lonely Millionaire”
- “Heaven Is”
- “Anime Eyes”
- “Nothing to Be Scared Of”
The first single, “Deeper Well,” dropped February 8
The title track was written and produced by Musgraves, Daniel Tashian, and Ian Fitchuk. Musgraves also worked with the two musicians on Golden Hour and Star-Crossed.
“Deeper Well” continues the theme of heartbreak that was present in Star-Crossed, but the new track focuses on leaving negative energy behind. “It’s been a real good time / But you got dark energy, something I can’t unsee / And I’ve got to take care of myself / I found a deeper well,” Musgraves sings.
The video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, sees the singer embracing nature. On Instagram, she said, “The video for ‘Deeper Well’ was shot on location in stunning Iceland, amongst the elements and the moss and the hidden folk. (I promise I was careful not to disturb their dwellings).”
As for the meaning of the song, Musgraves said in a statement: “Sometimes you reach a crossroads. Winds change direction. What you once felt drawn to doesn’t hold the same allure. You get blown off course, but eventually find your footing and forage for new inspiration, new insight, and deeper love somewhere else.”
One new track reunited the singer with two of her old songwriting partners
While nearly all of the tracks on Deeper Well were written and produced by Musgraves, Tashian, and Fitchuk, one cuts sees her reuniting with two of her old songwriting partners: Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.
Musgraves collaborated with the pair on her first two studio albums, Same Trailer Different Day and Pageant Material. McAnally worked on a few cuts for Golden Hour, too, but the last time he and Musgraves worked together was in 2019, on the holiday song “Christmas Makes Me Cry.” She has not worked with Osbourne since “A Willie Nice Christmas,” from 2016’s A Very Kacey Christmas.
Now, they have reunited with her on Deeper Well’s “The Architect,” and we can’t wait to hear what magic the trio has made this time. (In the past, this squad created songs like Musgraves’s hit debut single, “Merry Go ’Round,” “Silver Lining,” and “Somebody to Love.”)
Her sister contributed to the album
No, Musgraves’s younger sister, Kelly Christine Sutton, did not hop into the studio for the recording of Deeper Well. But she did take the photographs for both versions of the album cover.
The “High Horse” singer credited her sister when she shared the cover art to Instagram, writing, “Both album covers shot by my little sis @kellychristinephoto.”
Sutton is a professional photographer who also shot the photos for her sister’s first two albums and Golden Hour.
A special edition of Deeper Well comes with a zine
Musgraves has always been creative with her album rollouts (remember the short film attached to Star-Crossed?), and for Deeper Well, the she decided to embrace her inner collagist and create a zine to go with the release.
The 82-page soft-cover book includes the Deeper Well CD, as well as pages of photos, lyrics, liner notes, and commentary from Musgraves and the other creatives behind the album.
Musgraves’s sister took photos for the zine, too, as did photographer Austin Roa. Mackenzie Moore designed the special photo book. Musgraves promoted it on her Instagram, writing, “Onto the next chapter (literally.) Made a yummy 84 page zine full of photos, lyrics, thoughts behind the songs and the making-of. Comes with a CD. 🖤 Available in bio link, at @barnesandnoble, and indie record shops.”
