{"id":2324872,"date":"2026-03-12T15:24:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2324872"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:24:29","slug":"new-kacey-musgraves-album-to-be-more-country-and-horny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/new-kacey-musgraves-album-to-be-more-country-and-horny\/","title":{"rendered":"New Kacey Musgraves Album to be More Country, and \u2026 Horny"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kacey Musgraves has a new album on the way May 1st called Middle of Nowhere<\/em>, and it stands to be at least a partial return to her country roots, even if that\u2019s not exactly reflected in the album\u2019s lead single, the hot and bothered \u201cDry Spell.\u201d <\/p>

Musgraves signed with the recently relaunched Lost Highway Records<\/a><\/strong> in May of last year, and released a version of the Hank Williams classic the label is named after. This was the first indication that Musgraves might be going more country again. <\/p>

The promotional blurb Musgraves released to coincide with the album announcement and single release states, <\/p>

\u201cThe bulk of this record was made during the longest single period of my life. 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\u2019t 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 \u2018middle of nowhere\u2019 in many senses and sitting in the un-comfort of the undefined.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Just like all of her albums since 2018\u2019s Golden Hour<\/em>, Middle of Nowhere<\/em> will be produced by Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. However, in the songwriting department, it will see the return of Kacey\u2019s more country collaborators like Shane McAnally, Luke Laird, Josh Osbourne, Brandy Clark and Natalie Hemby. <\/p>

Middle of Nowhere<\/em> also features guest appearances by Willie Nelson, Billy Strings, and Miranda Lambert, speaking again to the more country-leaning nature of the effort. Gregory Alan Isakov also collaborates on a track. <\/p>

But just how \u201ccountry\u201d can we expect Middle of Nowhere<\/em> to be? Will it be a return to early Kacey Musgraves with clever turns of phrases and kiss offs backed by sensible country roots with mainstream impact? An in-depth interview Musgraves agreed to with Jewly Hight of NPR<\/em><\/a> clears up a lot of this. <\/p>

\u201cI love traditional country music,\u201d<\/em> Musgraves says. \u201cIt might sound cliche, but when I am in a period of sadness or heartbreak, I really do turn to old school country music, the traditional side of the genre. It\u2019s so comforting because it\u2019s all depressing songs about being heartbroken. So you feel very seen \u2026 I grew up singing Western swing, yodeling \u2014 very traditional country music. Those sounds are baked into what feels like home to me. And so exploring them doesn\u2019t feel like I\u2019m trying on a hat that doesn\u2019t fit. It just feels like part of me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Okay, but will we hear this on Middle of Nowhere<\/em>? \u201cIt\u2019s always there to some degree, but it felt good this time to really lean into it,\u201d <\/em>Musgraves says. \u201cFor me it\u2019s always about finding the balance. If a lyric is going in that direction really hard, maybe the track isn\u2019t, so it\u2019s never too on the nose \u2026 I think it\u2019s gonna be really tempting for a lot of people to say that it\u2019s a return for me. I agree with some of that. I\u2019ve never taken some stand saying I\u2019m leaving country. It\u2019s a huge part of me. I don\u2019t think I could shake it if I even wanted to.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Musgraves also says, <\/p>

\u201cFor me, sonically, it\u2019s always about exploring the borders of country music. I think this album has a lot to do with borders, and honestly, [so does] every album of mine, because country shares fence lines with so many other styles. I\u2019m really interested in [looking] where those two meet and then making something new. I love bluegrass and there\u2019s a little bit of that breezy \u201970s, \u201980s, \u201990s country that I love so much and then there\u2019s also a lane where country meets traditional Mexican music, norteno and even zydeco down in Louisiana. So in a way, I don\u2019t think the record is any different than anything else I\u2019ve done, but it does lean a little harder into the country palette.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

She also says of the writing process, \u201cI was just like, \u2018Hey, would you guys want to get together and write some like super country s***? Even just for fun, just see what we can get.’\u201d<\/em><\/p>

With the album\u2019s debut single \u201cDry Spell,\u201d we definitely get the strong return of Kacey\u2019s kitschy, campy, racy, clever, tongue-in-cheek type of approach that\u2019s willing to get near borders, but doesn\u2019t cross them, instead relying on innuendo, and what\u2019s not said directly\u2014all seductive lyrical mechanisms that can work very well in country music. This is also all well-illustrated in the video for the single.<\/p>\n\n\n\n