Kevin Morby Releases Delicate Acoustic Ode to Late Day Melancholy “Sundowner”

Kansas City-native Kevin Morby has released the new title track for his upcoming full-length studio LP, Sundowner. The singer/songwriter’s new album will be released next Friday, October 16 on the Dead Oceans record label. “Sundowner” follows several other singles from the album after “Don’t Underestimate Midwest American Sun,” “Wander” and “Campfire” were released earlier this year.

“Sundowner” sees Morby in familiar acoustic territory as his melodic, finger-picking guitar riffs steadily march along underneath a low, crooning vocal performance. It makes for impressive songwriting and should keep fans excited for the rest of the album to come out next week.

According to a press release, Morby wrote the song after his partner Katie Crutchfield (of Waxahatchee) introduced him to the term “sundowner,” which is a moniker for someone “who feels increased melancholy during twilight hours.” Discussing personal experiences behind the song, Morby said it really came together after he relocated to the Midwest.

“When I first moved back home to Kansas after having lived on both coasts for over a decade, I found myself – for the first time – dreading the sun going down,” explains Morby. “This was a foreign feeling for me. In both Los Angeles and New York, I resisted the day light and thrived in the night – something I have sung about many times, most notably on my album City Music. But suddenly there I was, isolated in the Midwest in late autumn – the days growing increasingly shorter – chasing the sun as best I could.” Morby also explains those themes also inspire the rest of the upcoming album, which he says is an “attempt to put the Middle American twilight —  its beauty profound, though not always immediate —  into sound.”

In support of Sundowner, Morby has also been playing a virtual tour via Noon Circus where he plays previous studio albums in full. Morby has announced he will play his previous album Oh My God on Thursday, October 8 before playing the entire Sundowner album when it comes out next Friday. Tickets to Morby’s upcoming virtual tour and pre-orders for Sundowner are currently available for purchase online now.