Kevin Morby wears his midwestern roots on his sleeve
Kevin Morby has spent nearly twenty years writing songs that feel like postcards from the American road. He’s carved out a career out of those quiet, Midwestern moments—small towns, long drives, and friendships forged while touring in a van.
While he’s often linked to the wider indie scene through his partner Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Morby has always moved at his own pace.
His new single, ‘Die Young’, is the first taste of his upcoming album Little Wide Open (dropping May 15 on Dead Oceans).
It’s a mid-tempo, string-heavy track featuring Mat Davidson on violin, and it hits on a pretty simple, heavy realization: surviving your youth is something to be grateful for.
“Thank god that we didn’t die young,” he sings, looking back at the chaos of his early years with a sense of relief rather than regret.
The video is just as straightforward—Morby walking through sunflower fields, soaking in the sun. It’s a far cry from the “reckless” days he’s singing about.
““A lot of this album is me reflecting on my time spent on the road as an adult,” explains Morby.
“Being a touring musician as a career has made for a sometimes complicated lifestyle and in so many ways has proven to be pretty dangerous. I started doing this professionally when I was 19 and sometimes I can’t believe that 20 years later I’m still here.
This song acts as a love letter not only to the road and all of my travel companions over the past two decades, but also to Katie, who I met playing shows when we were very young.
Sometimes it’s amazing to zoom out and remember where we began compared to where we’re at today – both as romantic partners and songwriters.”
The record was produced by Aaron Dessner and features a solid list of contributors, including Justin Vernon, Lucinda Williams, and Meg Duffy.
It’s got that same reflective energy as his last few records, Sundowner and This Is a Photograph, but it feels a bit more settled.
It’s the sound of an artist who has seen the world and is finally happy to just stand in a field for a while.
Little Wide Open Tracklist:
- Badlands
- Die Young
- Javelin
- All Sinners
- Natural Disaster
- 100,000
- Little Wide Open
- Cowtown
- Bible Belt
- I Ride Passenger
- Junebug
- Dandelion
- Field Guide for the Butterflies
