After a series of teases earlier this week, Kacey Musgraves has unveiled her new single, “Dry Spell,” in tandem with the announcement of her sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere. The 13-track effort will be released May 1 by Lost Highway and boasts the production talents of longtime collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk.
A video for “Dry Spell” co-directed by Musgraves and Hannah Lux Davis can be seen below. The artist previously put up billboards in several cities that read “dry spell? Call for a real good time.” “Dry Spell” contains numerous examples of Musgraves’ trademark turn of phrase, including the priceless sequence “ain’t nobody’s tool up in my shed / ain’t nobody’s boots under my bed / ain’t nobody’s truck in my drive / for a late night call for a real good time.”
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“The bulk of this 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,” Musgraves admits. “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. I had a lot of time for creative ambling and leaning into myself in different ways — horses, humor, writing with my early collaborators again and living out my very simple, inspired life between Texas, Tennessee and Mexico.”
Guests include Willie Nelson on “Uncertain, Texas,” Miranda Lambert on “Horses and Divorces,” Billy Strings on “Everybody Wants To Be a Cowboy” and Gregory Alan Isakov on “Coyote.” “Pedal steel, accordion and Texas dancehall rhythms provide a nostalgic framework that she flips on its head in signature fashion,” reads a description of the album. “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.”
Last year, Musgraves returned to the newly reactivated Lost Highway, to which she signed in 2011 shortly before the imprint was absorbed by Mercury Records. That label ultimately released her Grammy-winning 2013 debut, Same Trailer Different Park.
Middle of Nowhere is the follow-up to 2024’s Deeper Well, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Country albums tally. Its track “The Architect” won the Grammy for Best Country Song.
As of now, Musgraves hasn’t announced touring plans in support of Middle of Nowhere.
Here is the track list for Middle of Nowhere:
1. Middle of Nowhere
2. Dry Spell
3. Back on the Wagon
4. I Believe in Ghosts
5. Abilene
6. Coyote feat. Gregory Alan Isakov
7. Loneliest Girl
8. Everybody Wants To Be a Cowboy feat. Billy Strings
9. Horses and Divorces feat. Miranda Lambert
10 .Uncertain, Texas feat. Willie Nelson
11. Rhinestoned
12. Mexico Honey
13. Hell on Me
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