Kacey Musgraves has been one of my favorite artists in the music industry for well over a decade now. Throughout all her albums, stays the same thread of her fantastic songwriting capabilities and introspective storytelling. Her music has been there whenever I have needed it, and I find that whenever she releases a new album, it is the soundtrack for whatever era I am going through.
Going into my first listen of this new album, I knew I wanted to be outside. This album is fueled with gorgeous imagery of green pastures, the wind blowing in Musgraves’ hair and overall showing Musgraves reconnecting with nature.
Coming off her last album, which was known as a “divorce record,” Musgraves gets to speak about that joy of finding love again and getting into a new relationship on this new album.
Some of the songs on this album have similarities to the songs on her Grammy award winning album “Golden Hour.” However, with the new love Musgraves has found here, she also has found heartbreak again since her and her boyfriend since 2021, split at some point in 2023.
On songs like “Giver/Taker” and “Anime Eyes,” Musgraves reminisces on what it feels like to be in love again. On songs like “Too Good To Be True” and “Moving Out,” you hear Musgraves realizing her relationship might be ending.
This album feels like a mix of all of Musgraves’ albums combined. Since I am a big fan, I can hear moments on this album that remind me of her debut, “Same Trailer Different Park,” and her most recent “star-crossed,” but there is also a maturity to the Musgraves we are hearing on this album that may have not been on previous works. It feels like she has learned a lot and is showing herself as a more self-assured person on this new record.
One of the introspective tracks on the album is “Dinner With Friends,” which is about what she would miss when she dies. She gets introspective and details all the nice things about our world and her own personal life that she loves and cherishes and what she will miss about them once she will not be able to experience this life anymore.
This album is much softer and gentler than her previous album, which can be credited to Musgraves’ state of mind. She said that she currently feels very grounded, and “Deeper Well” is an “ode to the removal of resistance to growth in your life.”
On “Sway,” Musgraves details how life can feel with anxiety and having hopes that one day things will not bother her as much.
“Most of the time, all the thoughts in my mind keep me running / Show me a place where I can just think of nothing / If I surrender, if I let go, will you hold me? / Maybe one day / I’ll learn how to sway / Like a palm tree in the wind / I won’t break, I’ll just bend,” Musgraves sings.
A special moment during my first listen of the album was when I heard the track “Jade Green” for the first time. When Musgraves sings, “I wanna bathe in the moonlight, until I’m fully charged,” I was sitting on a field under the stars looking at the moon and felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be hearing those lyrics for the first time ever. This album has moments where Musgraves discusses spirituality and our universe and what else might be out there.
“The Architect” will go down as one of the best songs Musgraves has ever written, and it is asking the question of who is the one crafting these lives we are living.
The album’s closer, “Nothing To Be Scared Of” feels like one final big hug from Musgraves, letting us all know everything will be okay, ending the album on an optimistic note. It made me feel so comforted and secure, and that is the magic of Musgraves’ songwriting and music capabilities.
Overall, Musgraves just knows how to make great music. This album is perfect for the spring season as the production and Musgraves’ vocals sound like what a warm breeze feels like. “Deeper Well” is the latest addition to Musgraves’ pretty perfect discography, and it fits like a glove.
