Kacey Musgraves found her shine again. Following the release of her 2021 album Star-crossed, inspired by a breakup, the Texas-born singer gets back on her feet with Deeper Well, unveiling her healing journey and personal growth since her last release.
Ahead of her shows at the Moody Center on Nov. 26 and 27 as a part of her Deeper Well World Tour, Musgraves released her sixth studio album on Friday. Before the release of Deeper Well, Musgraves teased the album with singles “Deeper Well” and “Too Good to be True.”
Musgraves dips her feet into the folk realm throughout the album, and the title track “Deeper Well” sums up the record perfectly. Musgraves reflects on her “Saturn return,” a phenomenon often referred to when a person reaches 27-30 years old and undergoes significant life changes. “Deeper Well” raises an anthem of healing, letting go and moving on. As she sings in the song, Musgraves says goodbye to the people and habits that she feels are “real good” at wasting her time.
“Dinner With Friends” employs a darker concept — Musgraves writes about things she would miss after passing away. She sings that she would miss her “home state of Texas … but none of their laws.” “The Architect” uses a metaphor to refer to the Christian God. Musgraves asks to speak to the architect of her life, as she struggles with anxiety and feeling too hard to love. The song alludes to biblical stories such as the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood. Throughout the song, Musgraves questions her faith and role in the world.
“Anime Eyes” shows Musgraves’s versatility as she strays from her usual style. The song starts in the country folk style of the rest of the album but evolves more alternative, similar to Olivia Rodrigo’s “brutal” and other pop-rock anthems. Her lyricism and shift in style suggest that even a comfortable relationship can prove overwhelming. In the last lines, Musgraves swings back to the song’s original sound. With “Deeper Well,” Musgraves plays it safe as she experiments with new sounds, but stays careful not to leave her signature style behind.
Deeper Well speaks on wavering feelings of confidence, love and insecurity. The album chronicles the struggles of healing from the past, and both the anxiety and excitement of moving on to new people and places. The album, which narrates universal heart-heavy experiences, will surely relate to fans and casual listeners alike.
As Musgraves shared on Instagram on Friday regarding the release, she is “grateful to be alive and continuously inspired by life’s little mysteries and pleasures.”
3 cardinals out of 5
