Today, eight-time Grammy® winning singer and songwriter, Kacey Musgraves releases her highly anticipated sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway). Middle of Nowhere, produced by Kacey alongside longtime collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, exhales with a dust-blown clarity that feels both evocative and sure. The album draws from the sounds, stories, and sensibilities that shaped the Golden, Texas native. A literal sign in Musgraves’ tiny, unincorporated, no-stoplight hometown, population under 300, that reads “Golden, TX: Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere” sparked the idea for the title track and symbolic throughline of the album, speaking to something deeper and more nuanced.
Written during a period of post-breakup reflection, this album finds Musgraves leaning intentionally into open space and traditional western elements, and as always, earnestly examining the human experience. Pedal steel, accordion, and Texas dancehall rhythms provide a nostalgic framework that she flips on its head in signature fashion. It is a sonic love letter to the musical borders of Country, echoing influence from adjacent genres such as bluegrass, pop, and even bits of Norteño and Zydeco. It feels both fresh, familiar, and classically Kacey. Honest, fearless, immersive, and always ready to wink at life’s twists, turns, and troubles.
The album’s first single, “Dry Spell”, along with its accompanying video, co-directed by Musgraves and Hannah Lux Davis, is boldly hilarious and self-aware. The track blazes with sharp wit while delivering tight turns of phrase and a modern blend of classic sounds. It is joined by the title track “Middle of Nowhere” and new single, “Loneliest Girl” which received a Country Radio World Premiere this week. The album also features collaborations with Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings, and Gregory Alan Isakov, further highlighting its deep Texas roots and genreless spirit.
“The bulk of this record was made during the longest single period of my life,” says Musgraves, “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 became fascinated with the concept of liminal space, both geographical and emotional. We don’t 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 “middle of nowhere” in many senses and sitting in the un-comfort of the undefined. Middle of nowhere is a place as much as it is a state of mind. I had a lot of time for creative ambling and leaning into my roots in different ways; horses, humor, writing with my early collaborators again, and living out my very simple, inspired life between Texas, Tennessee, and Mexico.”
