Kacey Musgraves

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
“A state of mind.” 

Kacey Musgraves — wandering East Texas wordsmith,  cosmic country storyteller, and known genre-bender has always been a small-town girl with a thirst for the larger world. Her songs carry a wide-eyed glow, but her observations on the human condition offer an incisiveness that is staggering.

Middle of Nowhere, the sixth album from the eight-time Grammy winner, including the prestigious overall Album of the Year for Golden Hour, exhales with a dust-blown clarity and ease that feels both evocative and calming. In a fraught world, this record invites listeners to embrace what is, laugh about what isn’t, and move forward more realized. Chill, whole, free.

“I started this record while still in the throes of Deeper Well after going through a pretty ridiculous breakup,” says the truth-teller and self-proclaimed serial monogamist. “The bulk of the 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 needed that period to really understand that I really don’t need someone to be happy. I became fascinated with the concept of liminal spaces, both geographical and emotional. We don’t linger in these spaces long enough. We rush to define where or whatever is next. I had a lot of time for reflection, clearing, and leaning into my roots in different ways. Horses. My home in Texas. And heartbreak-soothing traditional Country music brought me comfort when I was sad.”

To sift through some of that sadness, Musgraves spent some time back in her tiny, unincorporated, no-stoplight hometown of Golden, Texas. (Population less than 300). Soul searching for signs, she found one. Literally. “I noticed a new sign someone had put up in the center of town that said ‘Golden, TX: somewhere in the middle of nowhere.’ What was erected in jest actually made a big impression. “The self deprecation of it made me laugh and the best part about it was its quiet certainty. When something refuses to announce its own importance, it’s essentially saying: I’m not anxious about how I’m perceived. That calmness is magnetic. People trust it. They lean in.”

“Middle of Nowhere” was the first song written and the spark that ignited the vision for the whole album. “Creatively, I felt compelled to purposefully lean hard into western tropes and elements that I grew up on. I knew I wanted simple and nostalgic framework with traditional elements like pedal steel and banjo, but, as always, I look at how to flip things on their head a bit.”

Continuing on, she found herself at a Texas Hill Country dancehall dive and took more than just a fun night home. “Seeing so many strangers from different walks of life joyously dancing and swinging each other around the room made me want to write some classic dancehall songs. This album is for two-stepping. I want America to be two-stepping with each other. Dancehalls sprung up around Texas in the 1930’s and became places of regional community and recreation. Many old dancehalls died out with the rise of disco but that spirit is still alive and well in the hearts of many Texans, including mine.”

Musgraves allowed her heart to seek out what she loved and found new ways to infuse the familiar. From the tempo-shifting title track to the almost rap-like roll of the gritty tale of a runaway woman in “Abilene,” the silky sway of “Mexico 
Honey,” and the boldly hilarious “Dry Spell,” this may be the realest and most unfiltered collection of musings yet.

Holding all that she is while reaching for what intrigues her, and for the legions of people who find their own truth and beauty in her songs, Middle of Nowhere feels both fresh and familiar. It is classically Kacey. Honest, fearless, immersive, lean, and always ready to wink at life’s twists, turns, and even its troubles. Because there is always a rainbow up ahead. This time, it’s down a long, open road.